By Ben Blanchard
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan, Sept 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai
Ing-wen visited a low-key but critical maintenance base for
fighter jet engines on Saturday, offering encouragement as the
Chinese-claimed island's armed forces strain in the face of
repeated Chinese air force incursions.
This month alone, China's drills have included its jets
crossing the mid-line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait and
exercising near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the
South China Sea.
Beijing regards Taiwan as a wayward province and has never
renounced the use of force to bring the democratic island under
its control.
Taiwan's air force has repeatedly scrambled to intercept
Chinese jets. Though they have not flown over mainland Taiwan
itself, the flights have ramped up pressure, both financial and
physical, on Taiwan's air force to ensure its aircraft are ready
to go at any moment. Visiting the Gangshan air base in southern Taiwan's
Kaohsiung, Tsai received a detailed account of how the
maintenance crew is making sure Taiwan's F-16 and other fighters
are operating at peak performance.
She appeared slightly taken aback when told the cost of one
small component for the F-CK-1 Ching-kuo Indigenous Defence
Fighter was T$380,000 ($13,000).
Speaking later to sailors at the nearby Zuoying naval base,
Tsai promised to be the strongest backer of the island's armed
forces.
“If there was no backup or help from you all, the military's
steadfast combat strength would be greatly reduced," she said.
Taiwan's air force is dwarfed by China's, and the strain of
the multiple sorties on Taiwan's armed forces have begun to
show.
Taiwan's Defence Ministry this month said the "dramatic
increase" in the threat level, along with the aircraft being
"middle-aged" had led to a huge increase in maintenance costs
not originally budgeted for.
Saldik Fafana, 21，a trainee air force engineer at the
Gangshan base, said he had noticed an impact recently. "There is
more work," he told reporters.
'CONSTANTLY ON EDGE'
Taiwan is revamping its fighter line-up.
The United States last year approved an $8 billion sale of
F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan, a deal that would bringing the
island's total to more than 200, the largest F-16 fleet in Asia.
Premier Su Tseng-chang expressed concern on Wednesday about
the cost of the tensions with China.
"Each time the communist aircraft harass Taiwan, our air
force takes to the skies, and it is extremely costly. This isn't
only a burden for Taiwan, but quite a big one for China too," he
said.
One Taiwan-based diplomat, citing conversations with
security officials, said China appeared to be waging a campaign
of attrition with its frequent fly-bys.
"China is trying to wear out Taiwan's pilots by keeping them
constantly on edge," the diplomat said on condition of
anonymity.
Taiwan's Defence Ministry, in a report to parliament last
month, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, said China's
flights over the narrow strait's mid-line were aimed at reducing
Taiwan's response time.
This has put "enormous pressure" on Taiwan's frontline
responders, it said.
Chinese flights to Taiwan's southwest, including at night,
are "an attempt to exhaust our air defences", the ministry
added, warning that if these become regular fixtures, they will
"increase our burden of response".
($1 = 29.2510 Taiwan dollars)