China's military modernization strategy is to deter US involvement in a cross-strait conflict and to prevail if the US does intervene, said the US-China Commission's annual report to Congress.
The report also warned that the removal of the EU arms embargo against China currently under consideration would accelerate Beijing's weapons modernization and dramatically enhance Chinese military capabilities.
"A key element of China's military modernization program has extensive acquisitions of foreign military technologies, particularly from Russia," the report said. "[The removal of the EU arms embargo would then] dramatically enhance Chinese military capabilities and might lead Russia to authorize the export of even more sophisticated systems to China."
The commission's report includes the details of its investigations into nine specific areas that were identified by Congress for the commission's review and recommendations.
These areas include China's economic reforms, US economic transfers to China, Chinese government's media control efforts and China's economic and security impact in Asia.
To examine China's military modernization and the cross-strait balance, the commission held a hearing on Feb. 6. In addition to experts and analysts, the commission heard from senior State and Defense Department officials on developments in US-China-Taiwan relations. The commission also supported two research projects on China's arms buildup.
According to the report, China's official defense budget allocation for weapons procurement showed an approximately 1,000 percent increase over a 12-year period, outpacing China's rapid growth in GDP.
The share of the budget devoted to weapons procurement also increased, from 16.3 percent in 1990 to 33.8 percent in 2002. Although the officially announced budget this year is more than US$25 billion, the report believed that the budget is grossly underreported.
It is estimated that China's total defense-related expenditures this year may be between US$50 to US$70 billion, ranking China third in defense spending after the US and Russia.
While China's missile threat is extremely serious, Taiwan has "limited dedicated military assets to guard against such an attack," the report said.
"China's increasing ballistic missile inventory may have already in fact altered the status quo in the Taiwan Strait," it said. "The necessity of maintaining a US policy of ambiguity concerning Taiwan's de jure status should not blind us to the de facto shift that is taking place in the military balance."
The report also pointed out that China's weapon development and acquisitions are an increasing challenge to American technical military superiority in the region.
"The Chinese strategy of improving its force options versus Taiwan and the ability to deter and counter US military intervention is fast becoming a reality," the report said. "China is no longer purchasing massive numbers of weapons systems but is pursuing initiatives to obtain licenses and to co-produce weapons for export."
This was a significant emerging issue, the report said, as this level of cooperation with Russia would help China's goal of being "a modern weapons-producing nation."
"It appears the Chinese buildup is designed to forestall measures that China perceives as steps toward independence by Taiwan and to coerce Taiwan to end the island's continued separate status," it said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
RSS