The whole of Taiwan is within range of the nearly 980 guided missiles which China now has aimed at the country, a senior Ministry of National Defense (MND) official said yesterday.
"These missiles indeed pose a serious threat to Taiwan," Major-General Wang Cheng-hsiao (王正霄), deputy director of the MND's intelligence department, said at a news conference yesterday.
Wang said that the accuracy of these missiles could exceed 70 percent in practical applications.
"The Chinese military has approximately 2.3 million soldiers available. The threat exists and it is growing," he said.
"Our intelligence sources show that the whole of Taiwan is within range of [the Chinese military's] missiles. By 2010, China could be capable of completing preparations for a large-scale war against Taiwan. By 2015, it could have the capacity to launch a decisive battle," he added.
Wang said that China had put into service about 60 J-10 aircraft, which are tipped to be the equivalent of the Taiwanese air force's F-16 A/Bs in terms of combat capabilities.
"Armed with these airplanes, as well as Su-27s and Su-30s, China will have air supremacy over Taiwan," he warned.
The rise of the Chinese military could also become a threat to other Asian countries, but was especially relevant to Taiwan, he said.
Confirming that China had shot down one of its own satellites with a mid-range guided missile on Jan. 11, Wang said that China was trying to elevate its international stature by demonstrating its missile capability instead of threatening Taiwan.
Nonetheless, he expressed concerns that "now that they have the ability to shoot down a satellite from the ground, it also means they have the ability to shoot down ours."
"Should war break out in the Taiwan Strait, China would be able to use its anti-satellite weaponry to attack the military satellites of other countries," including those of the US, Wang added.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
‘NATO-PLUS’: ‘Our strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific are facing increasing aggression by the Chinese Communist Party,’ US Representative Rob Wittman said The US House of Representatives on Monday released its version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, which includes US$1.15 billion to support security cooperation with Taiwan. The omnibus act, covering US$1.2 trillion of spending, allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, as well as US$150 million for the replacement of defense articles and reimbursement of defense services provided to Taiwan. The fund allocations were based on the US National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2026 that was passed by the US Congress last month and authorized up to US$1 billion to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency in support of the
PAPERS, PLEASE: The gang exploited the high value of the passports, selling them at inflated prices to Chinese buyers, who would treat them as ‘invisibility cloaks’ The Yilan District Court has handed four members of a syndicate prison terms ranging from one year and two months to two years and two months for their involvement in a scheme to purchase Taiwanese passports and resell them abroad at a massive markup. A Chinese human smuggling syndicate purchased Taiwanese passports through local criminal networks, exploiting the passports’ visa-free travel privileges to turn a profit of more than 20 times the original price, the court said. Such criminal organizations enable people to impersonate Taiwanese when entering and exiting Taiwan and other countries, undermining social order and the credibility of the nation’s
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