NEWS UPDATES and Video

Nov 19, 2007 - TAIPEI, Taiwan -- ROC Navy to have first female warship captain - After graduating from the ROC Naval Academy along with 19 other female high school graduates, Lt. Commander Hsieh Ai-chieh, 30, will set a precedent in the Navy of the Republic of China to lead the 500-ton domestically-developed Chinchiang-class, Fast Attack Missile Craft. Hsieh is married and gave birth eight months ago. source

Nov 15, 2007 - US approves PAC-2 support system sale - Washington has approved the sale of more than US$900 million in upgraded ground support materiel for Taiwan's three Patriot-II anti-missile batteries, a move that is expected to improve Taiwan's capability to fend off a ballistic missile attack by China. ... It also came as the White House maintains a freeze on Taipei's request for 66 advanced F-16 fighter aircraft, reportedly in retaliation for President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) insistence on going ahead with an election-day referendum on Taiwan's entry into the UN under the name "Taiwan." source

Nov 13, 2007 - China urges U.S. to stop arms sales to Taiwan - BEIJING, (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday urged the United States to immediately cancel arms sale programs, stop arms sales and military links with Taiwan. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Jianchao made the remarks when asked to comment on U.S. Department of Defense's recent announcement of planning to sell 3 sets of Patriot II anti-missile equipment upgrade systems and affiliated equipments worth of 939 million U.S. dollars to Taiwan. source

May 5, 2007 -Defense News – "To further complicate the problem, the legislature has whittled the procurement deal down by eliminating the PAC-3s and submarines and replacing the package with a study on submarine designs, an upgrade for Taiwan's current PAC-2s and the 12 P-3s – and still that budget has been delayed by additional political wrangling…." source

YouTube video, ROC (Taiwan) Seadragon Sub ...




Taiwan Seadragon Submariners

Does the TAIWAN: CHINA stalemate parallel the CUBA: U.S. situation? We do not believe it does, but suppose Fidel Castro had advised Hugo Chavez that the U.S. plans to make Cuba its 51st state upon Castro's demise? Hugo claims U.S. imperialism is justification for his seeking nuclear weapons. What U.S. imperialism? Could such bogus advice from Castro be the reason:

"God willing, with the fall of the dollar, the deviant U.S. imperialism will fall as soon as possible, too," Chavez said after a two-hour closed meeting with Ahmadinejad, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported. source and

Nov 16, 2007 - US lawmakers alarmed by Chavez's plan for nuclear energy program in Venezuela - source .