Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) on Wednesday responded to concerns following a Defense Ministry report on Sunday. The report detailed that Chinese aircraft were detected 41 nautical miles from Keelung. Questions later arose over whether aircraft could reach the Presidential Office within five minutes, leaving little time for military preparation.
Minister Chiu says Taiwan's military surveillance and monitoring are consistently active to prevent such incidents. Chiu says while it might be true that during peacetime an aircraft could reach Taipei in three to five minutes at such distances, the military has been monitoring and has implemented countermeasures. He says this is the aim of Taiwan's military surveillance efforts.
Chiu also responded to questions regarding the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 06 reported present off the coast of Hualien on Monday. Chiu says the research vessel frequently appears in the area and that the coast guard and the military have methods to deal with such situations. He acknowledged that due to the sensitive timing, the vessel's presence has drawn attention, but assured that it is regularly monitored.