China continues to target Taiwan for attack and invasion in the event of conflict, and Beijing is likely to declare a South China Sea air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the near future to bolster its claim on the islets and reefs in the region, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said.
According to MND reports released yesterday, Beijing convened high-level meetings to re-evaluate its cross-strait policies following last year’s Sunflower movement and related protests by Taiwanese against the government’s move to force a cross-strait service trade agreement with China through the legislature.
The report said China is concerned about the outcome of Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections in January next year, and its People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has therefore conducted a series of military drills in recent months simulating an invasion of Taiwan, known as “Operation Decapitation,” in which airborne paratroopers and special forces practiced descending on the Presidential Office Building in Taipei City in a rapid assault.
Photo: Lo Tian-pin, Taipei Times
Outlining China’s plans for attack against Taiwan, the report said Beijing would first use a combination of military threats and actions to intimidate Taiwanese, then blockade major ports of the nation’s frontier islands, such as Kinmen, Matsu and other outlying maritime territories.
After that, PLA missiles and other firepower would be deployed to attack Taiwan’s major military and political headquarters, along with telecommunications infrastructure, which would be followed by mounting airborne and amphibious landings for an invasion.
The report said the possible scenarios for a Beijing attack could arise from situations such as Taiwan’s declaration of independence or heading unequivocally toward independence, acquisition of nuclear weapons, internal political turmoil, delaying of dialogue on cross-strait negotiations toward unification, foreign forces interfering in Taiwan’s internal affairs, or deployment of foreign troops in the country.
Photo: Lo Tian-pin, Taipei Times
The ministry said Taiwan’s armed forces are capable of defending the nation, and would undertake drills to simulate a defense of the Presidential Office Building and the greater Taipei area, in what is dubbed “Counter-Operation Decapitation,” during the yearly Han Kuang military exercises, which are scheduled to take place next week.
In the past few days, marine amphibious units together with other special forces troops have been seen conducting drills along coastal regions and shores of the Tamsui River (淡水河) in northern Taiwan, while the military police brigade tasked with maintaining the security of the Presidential Office Building have also been training to defend against a potential attack.
The report concluded that China’s island-building spree in the South China Sea has completely changed the strategic structure in the region, adding that China has stepped up militarization and to claim sovereignty while exploring deposits of oil, hydrocarbons and other natural resources.
China has begun reclamation work on seven reefs and is undertaking construction of a seaport, airport runways and other infrastructure facilities, the report said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
RSS