Now that both China and Taiwan intend to take a pragmatic approach to "direct air links," avoiding the question of whether such links are international or domestic in nature, the next problem Taiwan faces is how to address the impact that direct links will have on national security.
Recently, Vice Minister of National Defense Kang Ning-hsiang (
Kang also said that they should initially be handled through Kaohsiung's Hsiaokang International Airport, only flying to and from Taoyuan's CKS International Airport at some later date. He formally ruled out the use of Taipei's Sungshan Airport for direct air links.
Because Sungshan Airport is situated in the heart of Taipei City, the nation's political, economic, and military center, the government's organs of national security view using Sungshan Airport for direct air links as equivalent to opening up the airspace over the capital city to a hostile China.
This would represent an "insurmountable challenge" to the security of the capital. That's why the Ministry of National Defense resolutely opposes using Sungshan Airport for the links.
Assuming the continuation of the status quo across the Taiwan Strait, "net assessment" (a methodology used by US national security policymakers) can be used to analyze the viability of using Sungshan Airport. The following national security issues that must be confronted.
First, China's intentions, methods, and capabilities: Under the premise that China has not abandoned the threat of force against Taiwan, even if taking advantage of direct links is not China's only means to attack or threaten Taiwan, this possibility cannot be ruled out.
Moreover, given that China's military has proposed the theory of "unlimited warfare," it is certainly capable of adopting such a strategy. Its potential methods would be multifaceted, however.
Second, factors outside the control of either side may arise in a crisis: Based on past experience, when tensions arise between China and Taiwan, they often give rise to hostile actions which are outside the control of either government.
Moreover, since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the US, potential terrorists have witnessed demonstrations of the effectiveness of international terrorist attacks. In the future, even if China does not order such actions, preventing nationalist extremists or other radicals from taking advantage of direct links to carry out their own special operations will be a serious problem to be confronted by both sides for the sake of their national security.
Third, crisis prevention and handling: The military can deal with the threat of a "Trojan Horse" by strengthening airport security measures and putting large numbers of troops in place. It would still be very difficult, however, to respond to all the possible scenarios that could unfold in the air.
Fourth, the extent of our capacity to withstand damage: Even if the military can respond to a threat immediately, whether to shoot down a hijacked plane that is out of control may pose a particularly grave problem because today's passenger aircraft are enormous and generally carry large reserves of fuel.
If such an aircraft is shot down over a densely populated, highly developed urban center, it will cause large-scale damage and widespread casualties in the air and on the ground. We have not yet evaluated whether this sort of risk is bearable. Nor have we determined how to limit damage, how to respond to emergency situations or how much to spend on such work.
Chang Pai-ta is a research fellow on the DPP's Policy Committee.
Translated by Ethan Harkness
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
In an article published on this page on Tuesday, Kaohsiung-based journalist Julien Oeuillet wrote that “legions of people worldwide would care if a disaster occurred in South Korea or Japan, but the same people would not bat an eyelid if Taiwan disappeared.” That is quite a statement. We are constantly reading about the importance of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), hailed in Taiwan as the nation’s “silicon shield” protecting it from hostile foreign forces such as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and so crucial to the global supply chain for semiconductors that its loss would cost the global economy US$1
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
Sasha B. Chhabra’s column (“Michelle Yeoh should no longer be welcome,” March 26, page 8) lamented an Instagram post by renowned actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) about her recent visit to “Taipei, China.” It is Chhabra’s opinion that, in response to parroting Beijing’s propaganda about the status of Taiwan, Yeoh should be banned from entering this nation and her films cut off from funding by government-backed agencies, as well as disqualified from competing in the Golden Horse Awards. She and other celebrities, he wrote, must be made to understand “that there are consequences for their actions if they become political pawns of