Amid increasing incursions by Chinese drones, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) updated the nation’s definition of “first strike” against Taiwan to include incursions of Chinese drones into Taiwan’s territorial airspace. Under the new rules, such an incursion would trigger a series of defensive countermeasures from the military.
As such counterattacks would be considered an initiation of war, Chiu said that the military would exercise restraint and not simply “shoot on sight.” They would first issue warnings and only when those went unheeded would the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) be regarded as bearing hostile intentions and dealt with using necessary measures.
Chiu said the military would lock weapons onto the drones as they approach. As targeting the drones is a form of warning, Taiwan would only resort to self-defense if the aircraft still proceeded undeterred.
Once the PLA crosses into Taiwan’s territorial airspace, it would invite retaliation, but once Taiwan counters a first strike, it would mean starting a war.
If the aircraft is a civilian drone, there is no need for overreaction, as Taiwan, in theory, can simply deal with it through existing regulations on civil aviation. If it is a PLA drone, it would be a serious matter indeed, just as Chiu said.
Chiu’s composed response, which incorporated attack and defense strategies, shows that he is more than a traditional fighter who is all brawn and no brains. Fully utilizing the lesson that “the art of war is of vital importance to the state” from Sun Zi’s (孫子) The Art of War (孫子兵法) instead of opening fire recklessly, Chiu has marked himself as a flexible and clear-headed leader who deserves every praise and compliment.
Hu Wen-chi is a former vice chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Culture and Communications Committee.
Translated by Rita Wang
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