The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday said it is fully aware of China’s military activities after photographs of a Chinese bomber said to be flying around Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and an unidentified mountain range in Taiwan emerged online.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force on Friday published a photograph on a popular Chinese microblogging site of an airborne Xian H-6K bomber. Two mountain peaks visible in the background of the image were said by netizens to be either Yushan (玉山) in central Taiwan or Dawushan (大武山) in Pingtung County.
The post did not identify the mountains, with the accompanying text only describing it as “a very meaningful picture.”
Later on Saturday, Chinese netizens disseminated another undated photograph showing the nuclear-capable bomber flying over an island thought to be Taitung County’s Orchid Island.
The images, which were widely reposted by Chinese and Taiwanese online, were said to be taken when Chinese military aircraft carried out training missions around Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. The Chinese air force has conducted two such exercises since Nov. 25.
Ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) yesterday said that all Chinese air force exercises were conducted outside Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, adding that it had closely monitored all flights.
Asked whether China had held another training exercise, Chen said the photographs must have been taken some time before the Nov. 25 and Dec. 10 exercises, adding that it was pure speculation to associate the peaks and island in the photographs with Taiwan.
“[The release] is a typical act of propaganda [employed by China], and the [Taiwanese] media are helping China in its ‘advertising campaign,’” he said.
“The goal [of the photographs’ release] is to affect Taiwanese psychologically. There will probably be another picture released tomorrow, as China must be thrilled with the reaction of the Taiwanese media,” he added.
Asked if the pictures were doctored — as has been speculated in military circles — Chen refused to comment, but reiterated that Chinese military aircraft have not intruded into Taiwan’s air defense zone and that the media should not go along with China’s ploys.
The picture of an H-6K bomber flying around an island was reportedly first published by China’s Xinhua news agency on Sept. 13, one day after a training mission in which an unidentified number of H-6K bombers, Su-30 fighters, J-11 fighters and air tankers flew to the West Pacific via the Bashi Strait to practice reconnaissance, sea surface cruising and inflight refueling.
China’s air force carried out four long-distance exercises this year on Sept. 12, Sept. 25, Nov. 25 and Dec. 10, with military aircraft circling around Taiwan’s airspace in some exercises, the ministry 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