Several Taiwanese war planes, including F-16s and Indigenous Defense Fighters (IDFs), reportedly approached China's coast in mid-July, nearly clashing with a Chinese military aircraft. This underlines the potential for innocent conduct to create misunderstandings and tension between the armed forces on either side of the Strait.
In order to avoid this, it is crucial that the parties set up a mechanism for preventing military incidents.
Since the early 1990s, Taiwan and China have sought to modernize their defense capabilities, in particular their air and naval forces. While Taiwan has introduced IDFs, F-16s, and Mirage 2000s into its air force, China has purchased Su-27s and Su-30s from Russia.
As a result, advanced aircraft fighters equipped with high-performance air-to-air missiles patrol the air space over the Taiwan Strait.
Given that the two sides have not officially clarified "spheres of activity" for their jet fighters, the potential exists for one's routine training and navigation flights to be viewed by the other as provocative.
Any unexpected encounter between Taiwanese and Chinese military aircraft could lead to an escalation of tensions.
It should be noted that Chinese military commanders have emphasized the necessity of aggressive policies toward Taiwan. They may trigger incidents to incite tensions in the Strait in order to compel civilian leaders in Beijing to take further military action against Taiwan.
Under such circumstances, an undesirable crisis or war could break out in the Strait. (On August 13, defense ministry spokesman Kung Fan-ding
Among confidence-building measures (CBMs), those focusing on "tension-reduction" are designed to avoid military incidents. It is in Taiwan's and China's interests to consult on an early-warning system to prevent each other's fighters and warships from staying too close to the other's territories.
When any jet fighter or warship unexpectedly approaches the other's territory, its commander should be warned first by a polite code warning (on an officially agreed wave frequency).
The establishment of such a system should be accompanied by that of a channel to exchange urgent information, clarify intentions and take preparatory measures to prevent incidents from becoming crises.
It will thus be possible to avoid military incidents and to reduce the likelihood of an "accidental" armed clash between Taiwan and China.
Tsai Ming-Yen is a PhD candidate in the Department of War Studies, King's College, London.
Taiwan faces complex challenges like other Asia-Pacific nations, including demographic decline, income inequality and climate change. In fact, its challenges might be even more pressing. The nation struggles with rising income inequality, declining birthrates and soaring housing costs while simultaneously navigating intensifying global competition among major powers. To remain competitive in the global talent market, Taiwan has been working to create a more welcoming environment and legal framework for foreign professionals. One of the most significant steps in this direction was the enactment of the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) in 2018. Subsequent amendments in
After nine days of holidays for the Lunar New Year, government agencies and companies are to reopen for operations today, including the Legislative Yuan. Many civic groups are expected to submit their recall petitions this week, aimed at removing many Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers from their seats. Since December last year, the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) passed three controversial bills to paralyze the Constitutional Court, alter budgetary allocations and make recalling elected officials more difficult by raising the threshold. The amendments aroused public concern and discontent, sparking calls to recall KMT legislators. After KMT and TPP legislators again
US President Donald Trump on Saturday signed orders to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China effective from today. Trump decided to slap 25 percent tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada as well as 10 percent on those coming from China, but would only impose a 10 percent tariff on Canadian energy products, including oil and electricity. Canada and Mexico on Sunday quickly responded with retaliatory tariffs against the US, while countermeasures from China are expected soon. Nevertheless, Trump announced yesterday to delay tariffs on Mexico and Canada for a month and said he would hold further talks with
Taiwan’s undersea cables connecting it to the world were allegedly severed several times by a Chinese ship registered under a flag of convenience. As the vessel sailed, it used several different automatic identification systems (AIS) to create fake routes. That type of “shadow fleet” and “gray zone” tactics could create a security crisis in Taiwan and warrants response measures. The concept of a shadow fleet originates from the research of Elisabeth Braw, senior fellow at the Washington-based Atlantic Council. The phenomenon was initiated by authoritarian countries such as Iran, North Korea and Russia, which have been hit by international economic