By WENDELL MINNICK
KAOHSIUNG/HUALIEN — Taiwan’s military demonstrated its preparedness for any contingencies in the upcoming Chinese New Year holidays during a two-day tri-service drill Jan. 22-23.
The annual Combat Readiness Tri-Service Exercises are held before the beginning of each Chinese New Year, as a message to China and other potential adversaries that Taiwan remains alert during a time of celebration when much of the government is shuttered.
Though none of the exercises was aimed at demonstrating Taiwan’s political position on the ownership of the disputed Diaoyutai Islands with Japan (also known as the Senkaku Islands), the quarrel was not far from the minds of military officials and local journalists covering the event.
Members of Taiwan’s Military Journalists Association were wearing a new patch with the phrase “Diaoyutai Is Ours!”, which included the image of a Taiwan soldier planting the Republic of China flag on the summit of the island. One of the journalists said members of the association were distributing the patches to show support for Taiwan’s territorial claims.
Read the full story at DefenseNews