XT112 rifle testing to finish before the year endsStaff Writer, with CNADevelopment and testing of the XT112 rifle, which is set to replace the existing models used by Taiwan’s military, would be completed this year, the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau said on Friday at the 2023 Taipei Aerospace & Defense Industry Exhibition. The entirely domestically developed and built rifle features numerous improvements over the T91 and T65K2 models, said Lieutenant Lee Chien-ting (李建霆), who is involved in the research and development of the rifle at the bureau. The barrel of the XT112 rifle is thicker than the T91 and T65K2 models, resulting in the XT112’s improved accuracy. The XT112 shoots groupings of 9.8cm from a range of 100m compared with the T91’s groupings of 14.5cm at 100m, Lee said. The XT112s are expected to undergo operational testing this year and if they pass would gradually replace rifle models in use across military services, Lee said.

Inside the South Korean factory that could be key for UkraineDespite a government policy not to provide weapons directly into ongoing conflicts, South Korean products have the advantage of having been deployed at home due to its situation with North KoreaBy Kang Jin-kyu / AFP, CHANGWON, South KoreaAt a sprawling South Korean arms factory on Friday, a high-tech production line of robots and super-skilled workers were rapidly churning out weapons that could, eventually, play a role in Ukraine. An engineer works on a K9 howitzer at the Hanwha Aerospace factory in Changwon, South Korea, on Friday. An engineer works on a K9 howitzer at the Hanwha Aerospace factory in Changwon, South Korea, on Friday. Hostilities in the 1950 to 1953 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty, and Seoul remains technically at war with nuclear-armed Pyongyang. ‘GREAT VALUE’The export of South Korean weaponry, especially the K9 howitzers, would be “of great value to Kyiv,” he said.

Ko’s latest proposal a non-starter for KinmenBy Huang Di-ying 黃帝穎Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has proposed turning Kinmen into an “experimental zone” for peace between Taiwan and China. Yet no matter which administrative district is chosen for such an experiment, it would be unconstitutional to put Ko’s proposal in practice, namely, carrying out political and social experiments in relation to autocratic China. Ko’s proposal not only goes against the Constitution’s concept of “defensive democracy,” but also demonstrates how Ko lacks even a basic understanding of democracy and the rule of law. Given that the Constitution is entirely based on the order of a liberal democracy, Ko’s proposal is clearly unconstitutional. When countries across Europe were redesigning their constitutions, “defensive democracy” was emplaced to prevent the self-destruction or damage of their “constitutional order of liberal democracy.”Ko’s proposal would damage Kinmen’s “constitutional order of liberal democracy,” hence it violates the Constitution’s “defensive democracy.” Ko’s proposal is by all means unconstitutional.

Sri Lanka edge Pakistan to set up final with IndiaAFP, COLOMBOKusal Mendis’ 91 and an unbeaten 49 by Charith Asalanka on Thursday helped Sri Lanka edge Pakistan by two wickets in a last-ball thriller at the Asia Cup to set up a final with India. Chasing a revised target of 252 in the 42-overs-a-side contest in Colombo, Sri Lanka needed eight from the final over and achieved the target with Asalanka’s winning hit on the last ball at 1.07am. Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis, left, stumps Pakistan captain Babar Azam in their Asia Cup Super Four one-day international in Colombo on Thursday. Mendis set up victory with a 100-run third-wicket stand with Sadeera Samarawickrama, who made 48, but Asalanka took it on himself after their departure. I think they are the best players of spin in the Sri Lanka squad,” Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka said.

TPP whistle-blower platform partner quits projectTERMINATED: The company was under great pressure, TPP spokesman Osmar Hsu said, adding that the party is sorry that ‘corporations are still at the mercy of politics’Staff writer, with CNAThe company working with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to operate an independent whistle-blower platform terminated its collaboration yesterday to “prevent further misunderstandings” of the system. Since it was announced on Wednesday, media reports about the third-party system have been “significantly misleading,” Deloitte Taiwan said, adding that the company prides itself on remaining neutral. Taiwan People’s Party spokesman Osmar Hsu holds a news conference in Taipei yesterday. The party was then to launch a probe into any potential illegalities conducted by party executives and expel offenders if it determined such accusations are true, Hsu said. At a separate news conference yesterday, Hsu accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of pressuring Deloitte, saying that it should have considered implementing a similar system.

EDITORIAL: The rise and fall of Ann KaoAside from the presidential candidates, Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) has been the name on everyone’s lips. However, her character, ethical conduct and leadership seem to have aged like milk, with Hsinchu residents now questioning their choice. Whistle-blowers have accused Kao of forcing her office assistants to transfer part of their salaries and overtime wages to a common fund, which was later used for her personal benefit. Despite these allegations, Kao has only explained her misconduct with new lies and excuses. The petition to recall then-Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) also stemmed from residents’ grave disappointment, and for now, Kao risks triggering that same sentiment.

Propaganda of Mate 60 technologyBy Chuang Mao-chieh 莊貿捷Chinese telecom giant Huawei Technology Co’s new Mate 60 Pro smartphone has drawn the market’s attention, mainly because it is powered by a 7-nanometer chip made by China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC). The US and its allies are waging a chip war against China, elevating the chip rivalry from the corporate to the national level. The national security aspects of this issue make political propaganda Huawei’s main focus, so it can disregard considerations of commercial cost to incorporate advanced-process chips, which are generally defined as those on a scale of 7-nanometers or smaller. When the chip manufacturing process reaches the 7-nanometer stage, the next technological step is actually a giant hurdle. Despite China’s elevation of Huawei to the status of a national hero, a long and rocky path lies hidden behind the fog of political propaganda.

DPP’s Fan criticizes Ko’s ‘bizarre’ diabetes analogyBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterDemocratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Fan Yun (范雲) yesterday condemned as “bizarre” and insulting to patients comments by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on using diabetes as analogy for commenting on cross-strait relations when addressing the US business community on Tuesday. Taiwan Statebuilding Party Taipei chapter director Wu Hsin-tai, center, speaks at a news conference in the city in an undated photograph. “Ko’s comparison is way off the mark, he is an international laughingstock,” Fan told reporters yesterday. “Ko’s comparison to diabetes is too bizarre... Taiwan right now is more like an elderly person suffering from progressive loss of muscle mass. Taiwan Statebuilding Party (TSP) Taipei chapter director Wu Hsin-tai (吳欣岱), who is also a doctor, had a different take.

Central Election Commission Chairman Lee Chin-yung stands next to a notice at the commission’s office in Taipei announcing that the presidential election is to be held on Jan. 13 next year. “The decision of whether or not aspirants register as candidates falls within their civil right to participate in political affairs, and the CEC shall respect that decision,” CEC Vice Chairperson Chen Chao-chien (陳朝建) added. “However, once they have registered as candidates under the act, they cannot withdraw their candidacy,” he said. Candidates nominated by parties or independent candidates who collect enough signatures to qualify as candidates in the presidential election are required to register from Nov. 20 to 24. Under the act, independent presidential hopefuls must obtain 289,667 signatures, or 1.5 percent of eligible voters in the previous presidential election, to qualify as candidates.

India studies response to potential Taiwan invasionUS EFFECT: The options would be available for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other leaders to make a final call on any action should the need arise India is studying possible responses to a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan following discreet inquiries from the US on how the nation could contribute in the event of a war, senior Indian government officials said. About six weeks ago, Indian Defense Chief General Anil Chauhan — India’s top military commander — commissioned a study to examine the wider impact of any war over Taiwan that also involves the US and its allies, and what action India could take in response, two senior Indian officials said, who asked not to be named as discussions are private. The order came after the US

US Representative Mike Gallagher speaks to reporters after a Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 3. Photo: Reuters“I just think it’s equally as plausible that, as China confronts serious economic and demographic issues, [Chinese President] Xi Jinping [習近平] could get more risk accepting, and could get less predictable and do something very stupid,” Gallagher said. US soldiers and critical infrastructures might all be the target of attacks if such a conflict broke out, he said. They also discussed the need for the US to selectively decouple or de-risk in key areas against Chinese economic aggression, such as theft of intellectual property, dumping cheap products and cyberattacks. It is the policy of Biden’s administration to provide Taiwan with the resources it needs to defend itself, she said, adding that “neither side [of the Taiwan Strait] should change the status quo, especially violently.”

EDITORIAL: Expats crucial to countering ChinaThe battle for public opinion begins long before any shot is fired. Governments worldwide are well aware of this, and none more so than authoritarian regimes like China and Russia, who dwell in fear of a discontent populace. Having perfected their propaganda techniques internally, global ambitions have led them to launch influence campaigns against their rivals. To Shen, most concerning are the internal divisions within Taiwanese society, eroding people’s willingness to resist China. Despite being only a small hill among the mountains of efforts needed to counter China’s influence, their contributions should not be overlooked.

Pressed on why he has not met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in 10 months, Biden said Xi “has his hands full right now.”US President Joe Biden visits the John Sidney McCain III Memorial in Hanoi yesterday. “I don’t think it’s going to cause China to invade Taiwan, matter of fact the opposite, probably doesn’t have the same capacity as it had before,” he added on Sunday during a press conference in Hanoi. “I’m not going to sell China material that would increase their capacity to make more nuclear weapons or engage in defense activities,” Biden said. Huawei recently quietly revealed a mobile phone utilizing technology the US has sought to keep out of Beijing’s hands, questioning the efficacy of US chip restrictions. Biden said he had no intention of trying to contain or isolate the world’s second-largest economy.

India’s remarkable G20 summitBy Gurjit SinghIndia’s successful implementation of presiding over the G20 has been as close to impeccable and unexpected as possible. While it is true that Xi has rarely missed a G20 summit, this time the summit was compared with the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Jakarta. There was speculation that Xi did not attend because he could not control the narrative of India’s G20. Perhaps when they realized that India would succeed regardless, Xi decided not to attend and instead sent the lower-ranking Li, relatively unknown in G20 circles. This has not taken place for some time, either at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit nor at the BRICS summit in Johannesburg earlier this year.

US and Vietnam are ‘critical partners’ in ‘critical time’: BidenAP, HANOIUS President Joe Biden yesterday opened a brief visit to Vietnam by telling the country’s leadership that the two nations have a chance to shape the Indo-Pacific region for decades to come. Vietnam is elevating relations with the US to the level of a comprehensive strategic partner, which a top Biden adviser said represents Vietnam’s highest tier of international partnership. With China’s economic slowdown and President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) consolidation of political power, Biden sees an opportunity to bring more nations — including Vietnam and Cambodia — into the US’ orbit. Scores of schoolchildren lined the steps waving small US and Vietnam flags and Biden watched from an elevated review stand as high-stepping members of the military marched past. Trong sought to flatter Biden, who faces persistent questions at home about being 80 years old and running for re-election next year.