China is boosting its combat capabilities to the point at which it could mount a full cross-strait attack in 2020, according to a new report from the Ministry of National Defense (MND).
The report added that Chinese leaders have not given up the option of mounting a military invasion of Taiwan to unify it with “the Chinese motherland.”
The report was sent to the legislature yesterday.
Minister of National Defense Yen Ming (嚴明) is scheduled to formally deliver it today in a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
China has been developing and deploying various new high-end weapons, as well as advanced cyberattack and defense technologies, as it builds up its combat capabilities to reach an invasion level by 2020, the report said.
The high-end weapons include various types of reconnaissance satellites, the newest type of stealth combat aircraft, various types of unmanned aircraft systems, new ballistic missiles, new aircraft carriers, as well as research and engineering for new nuclear-powered submarines, the report said.
It also said that the ground forces of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) are deploying new types of attack helicopters (WZ-10s and WZ-19s), a new design of Type 99G battle tanks weighing 55 tonnes and a new type of light tank that weighs 30 tonnes and offers improved mobile flexibility.
The Chinese military threat has not diminished and China remains the greatest source of armed conflict for the Republic of China (ROC), the report said.
It quotes Chinese leaders on the reasons for Beijing’s increase in defense spending and boosting its military capability — that they are needed to guard against “splittist factions” making moves to interfere with the peace development across the Taiwan Strait.
By conducting combined forces training with amphibious landing exercises, expanding its naval fleet’s far-sea patrol missions, rotating troop units at positions directly across the Strait and elevating its military strength and combat ability, China will be capable of mounting a full-scale military attack on Taiwan by 2020, under the guise of “subduing Taiwan independence factions and unifying the Motherland,” the report said.
It also pointed out that neighboring countries are boosting their military capabilities and defense spending in response to China’s moves, although this has a trickle-down effect of constricting the ROC’s security operations zone.
In the face of a military imbalance skewed in China’s favor, Taiwan’s military is adhering to a concept of innovative, asymmetric warfare, in line with national defense policies, the report said.
To maintain adequate defense capabilities, Taiwan is developing its own weaponry even as it continues trying to buy arms from other countries, it said.
To better control military movements around Taiwan’s territorial space, the military is strengthening its air and sea reconnaissance capabilities and early-warning systems by deploying P-3C marine patrol aircraft, unmanned aircraft systems and integrating the helicopter fleets of the three branches of the military, the report added.
On the issue of China’s cyberthreat, the report said the military must strengthen its national information security mechanism, establish critical infrastructure protection, support the information security industry and cultivate cybersecurity personnel.
The military has estimated that between next year and 2019, the number of military personnel would be reduced to between 170,000 and 190,000, the report said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source