The CIA is concerned that China's military build up could tilt the cross-strait military balance against Taiwan, and at the same time pose an increased threat to the US, the new CIA director, Porter Goss, told Congress Wednesday.
Goss also warned that Beijing is prepared to attack Taiwan if it feels the country's moves toward formal independence go too far.
PHOTO: AFP
Goss made his comments during an appearance before the Senate intelligence committee, in an annual report by the US intelligence agencies to Congress on the national security threats facing the US.
It was Goss' first appearance at the annual intelligence assessment session since becoming head of the CIA last September.
Before that, he sat on the other side of the congressional hearing table as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee from 1997, until he was chosen by US President George W. Bush to head the spy agency.
"Beijing's military modernization and military build-up could tilt the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait," Goss told the lawmakers. "Improved Chinese capabilities threaten US forces in the region."
Goss noted that last year China increased its ballistic missile forces across from Taiwan and rolled out several new submarines.
"China continues to develop more robust, survivable nuclear-armed missiles, as well as conventional capabilities for use in regional conflict," he warned.
On Taiwan's recent political developments, Goss pointed to the nation's planned constitutional reforms and "other attempts to strengthen local identity."
"Beijing judges these moves to be a `timeline for independence.' If Beijing decides that Taiwan is taking steps toward permanent separation that exceeds Beijing's tolerance, we assess China is prepared to respond with varying levels of force," Goss told the senators.
On a broader level, China is increasingly confident and active on the international stage to secure a stronger voice in major international issues, countering what it sees as US efforts to counter and encircle it, and securing access to natural resources, Goss said.
He also pointed to a number of domestic challenges that President Hu Jintao (
In response to Goss' report, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said that the threat that China's military build-up posed for the region was inevitable.
"We haven't seen the entire text of the CIA's report, but from our ongoing exchange of opinions with the US, it's clear that China poses a threat to the entire region, including Japan, South Korea and, of course, Taiwan," MAC Vice Chairman Chiu Tai-san (
While Chiu refrained from commenting on whether the recent string of events could be interpreted as the US' response in opposition to China's proposed anti-secession bill, he remarked that the bill clearly ran counter to the US' stance on the matter.
"Neither China's military buildup nor its anti-secession law meets the US' requirements," Chiu said, explaining that the US wanted to see peaceful settlement between Taiwan and China, and as such opposed any moves to unilaterally change the status quo.
"Under these circumstances, the US will naturally be concerned about the law and opposed to it as well," Chiu said.
A senior government official said, however, that the US could not oppose Beijing's legislation now, as the bill's exact text had yet to be disclosed.
"Diplomatically, the US cannot oppose a bill they have not seen yet," the official said.
The MAC has been pushing for the international community to intervene on Taiwan's behalf. International pressure will have an effect on the content and passage of the bill, Chiu said.
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS