The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday that any hope of implementing cross-strait military confidence-building measures were being hampered by China's refusal to withdraw or destroy missiles aimed at Taiwan.
“This issue is complicated,” Vice Admiral Lee Hsi-ming, director of the ministry's Military Strategy Planning Department, told a press conference in Taipei to mark the release of its biennial defense policy paper.
The removal of the missiles and confidence-building measures are key parts of President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) cross-strait strategy for improving relations with a view to eventually signing a peace agreement.
Asked whether Taiwan has started talking with China on the establishment of such a mechanism, he said: “There is no timetable yet.”
However, the military has been conducting studies and surveys in this area to prepare for future talks, he said, including establishing a hot line between Taipei and Beijing and signing a pact to limit the deployment of military personnel and equipment against each other.
“We have not been able to make progress because China has not given up ... the notion of using force against Taiwan,” the ministry said, adding that China had continued to hold exercises aimed at preparing its troops to invade Taiwan.
“China has increased the frequency of its military exercises to pressure us since October 2008, when the US government announced the sale of an arms package to us,” the report said.
China has deployed at least 1,300 missiles at coastal military bases targeting Taiwan, “including short-range ballistic and cruise missiles ... by the Communist forces at their Nanjing and Guangzhou military bases,” it added.
Asked whether the ministry was up to date on the exact number of Chinese missiles, Intelligence Department Deputy Director Kao Chung-bang (高中邦) said it was classified information.
“The MND is fully aware of the latest situation, but we cannot make detailed information public,” Kao said.
Kao said Chinese missiles were also a major threat and concern for the US and Japan as the Chinese military continued to upgrade and develop new ones.
The Chinese air force also has more than 700 fighters based within 1,000km of Taiwan, the report said.
It said some of the fighters are equipped with airborne refueling facilities that can be used to extend their combat duration.
China's navy has been boosted by the introduction of nuclear-powered attack submarines and major combat vehicles armed with medium-range ballistic missiles capable of striking moving targets at sea.
“The purpose is to deter or delay foreign aircraft carriers coming to the rescue of Taiwan should war break out in the Strait,” it said.
While the report did not identify this “foreign force,” the only nation likely to send carriers to Taiwan in a war scenario is the US.
Meanwhile, the ministry denied a report by the military periodical Defense News that a submarine procurement team based in Washington could be disbanded as chances of Taiwan procuring submarines has diminished.
“I hereby clarify that the team remains functional and we have no intention of disbanding it anytime soon,” ministry spokesman Major General Yu Sy-tue (虞思祖) said.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese