
AI-generated summary
Taiwan’s 9-in-1 general election is approaching at the end of the year, and China continues to exert military pressure, harassment and intimidation on Taiwan.
The picture shows that the National Army's F-16 fighter jet previously used the AN/AAQ-33 "Sniper" pod to completely capture the flight footage of the Chinese Communist Party's J-16 fighter jet. (File photo, provided by the Ministry of National Defense)
Taiwan's nine-in-one general election at the end of the year has entered a fierce stage. Various regions will take turns holding debates or political speeches for mayors and other candidates. China continues to exert military pressure, harassment and intimidation against Taiwan. The Ministry of National Defense said today (31st) that since 1:15 p.m., it has successively detected 22 sorties of Chinese military aircraft going to sea, cooperating with the Chinese warships to carry out the "joint combat readiness police patrol" unilaterally claimed by China to disrupt Taiwan.
The Ministry of National Defense pointed out at 5 o'clock this evening that since 1:15 p.m., it has successively detected 22 sorties of the Chinese Communist Party's J-10, J-16, KJ-500 and Tanker-20 main and auxiliary fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. Among them, 18 sorties crossed the center line and its extension line and entered China's northern, central, southwest and western Pacific airspace.
The Ministry of National Defense pointed out that Communist military aircraft, in conjunction with Communist ships, harassed our surrounding air and sea areas under the guise of the so-called "joint combat readiness patrol."
The Ministry of National Defense emphasized that the Chinese military uses joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance methods to closely monitor the situation, and dispatches mission aircraft, ships and shore-based missile systems to respond accordingly.

General Ronald Clark, commander of US Army Pacific, stated that 2027 remains a target year for military readiness concerning Taiwan, despite US intelligence assessments suggesting no current Chinese plan for an attack by that date.

The Safe Taiwan Society held a symposium. Scholars and officials warned that after the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the CCP tried to achieve "leaving the islands but not the sea" by coordinating the coast guard, scientific research vessels and fishing vessels. At the same time, China's economic downturn may accelerate the PLA's intelligent construction of AI and unmanned vehicles.

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China ratified the expulsion of 16 generals including Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli from the party. Scholars analyzed that Xi Jinping has not inspected local troops for nine months and that none of the six existing generals has control of the actual army. An air force general even took over as commander of the central theater, which shows that Xi has completely eliminated the People's Liberation Army's ability to interfere in the political situation and launch coups.

The Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee came to an end, and the Safe Taiwan Society held a symposium on the 31st. Scholars pointed out that the large-scale purge of the Communist Party's top military and military industry systems has led to the postponement of the centenary goal of establishing the army in 2027, and the probability of short-term aggression against Taiwan has decreased. However, because politics trumps professionalism, misjudgments are prone to occur in emergencies.

On the early morning of the 31st, the Dongsha Command of the Coast Guard detected China Coast Guard 3102 breaking into the restricted waters of Dongsha using a concealed boat. Our "Patrol No. 7" went to forcefully drive them away. China's broadcast claimed to have jurisdiction over the sea area. We solemnly refuted it. The two sides continued to confront each other.

The U.S. State Department announced it has approved the sale of 500 Patriot III missiles to Ukraine, totaling $2.1 billion. However, because it has not yet been manufactured, it is not expected to be delivered until the early 2030s. This delay in delivery has deepened tensions between the United States and Ukraine.