The Chinese military would be capable of fighting against Taiwan and allied forces by 2027, a Ministry of National Defense (MND) report said yesterday.
China has set a goal of modernizing its warfare capabilities by that year, which is to mark the 100th anniversary of its army’s founding, and it might by then be able to act more aggressively toward Taiwan, said the report, which the ministry submitted to the Legislative Yuan for review.
The ministry did not cite any evidence that China was planning to invade Taiwan by 2027 or provide any intelligence that Beijing had given up on its vow to achieve “peaceful unification.”
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
China has over the past few years stationed an increasing number of warships along its southeastern coast, as it is seeking to maintain its military advantage in the region and attempting to build a system of intelligence warfare by 2027, the report said.
By 2027, China is expected to possess regional air defense capabilities, and long-range sea and airstrike systems, which would greatly extend its combat range, following the introduction of its aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong, a second-generation Type 003 vessel, as well as the mass production of Type 055 destroyers, Y-20 tanker aircraft and J-20 fighters, the report said.
The ministry said Chinese naval and air forces would be capable of projecting power at greater distances from its territory, extending its reach of military operations and enabling it to counter joint forces between Taiwan and its allies.
Taiwan would respond by improving its defense capabilities in joint operations against an invasion through integrated air defense systems and maritime interception, the report said.
The ministry said it would also focus on armed forces development, including plans for mass production of mature weapons, but did not specify a kind of weapon.
The report said that China is continuing to develop its capabilities to counter the US military in the Indo-Pacific region, which remains an integral part of Washington’s strategic focus, despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The ministry said there could be an intensified US-China standoff in the region by 2027 over issues including cross-strait relations, tensions on the Korean Peninsula and territorial disputes in the South China Sea, which could increase the risk of conflict between the two countries.
Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) last year said that China would be capable of launching a full-scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025, but he did not elaborate on whether it would be able to deal with US involvement in such a war.
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley has since last year reiterated that China aims to develop the capability to invade Taiwan by 2027.
However, he last year also said that although China might want to develop that capability, he sees no near-term intent to do so.
Three cases of Candida auris, a fungus that can cause a yeast infection known as candidiasis in humans, have been reported in Taiwan over the past few years, but they did not display drug resistance, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said yesterday. Lo made the statement at a news conference in Taipei, one day after the Washington Post reported that the potentially deadly fungus is spreading in US hospitals. The fungus was first discovered in Japan in 2009 and poses a danger to immunocompromised people, with an estimated mortality rate of 30 to 60 percent, Lo
‘DIRE’: Taiwan would not engage in ‘dollar diplomacy,’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, after China reportedly offered Honduras up to US$3 billion to establish relations The government yesterday recalled its ambassador to Honduras after the Central American nation sent its foreign minister to China, signaling that it would sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Suspicions concerning ties with Honduras are rife after Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Tuesday last week wrote on Twitter that her country would pursue diplomatic ties with China. Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduardo Enrique Reina traveled to China on Wednesday “to promote efforts for the establishment of diplomatic relations” on instructions from Castro, Reuters yesterday quoted Honduran presidential spokesman Ivis Alvarado as saying. The government “has decided to immediately recall the ambassador to Honduras
SWITCH TO BEIJING: The government severed diplomatic relations about an hour after Honduras announced the move, saying that no semi-official ties would be maintained Taiwan severed diplomatic ties with Honduras and ended all cooperation with the Central American country, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, about an hour and a half after the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Twitter at 8am Taiwan time that the nation would cut its ties with Taiwan. Honduran President Xiomara Castro on Wednesday sent Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduardo Enrique Reina to Beijing to negotiate the establishment of diplomatic relations. She announced the plan on March 14 on Twitter. “To safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty and dignity, Taiwan is terminating diplomatic ties with Honduras with immediate effect” after communication with
MEDIA, SOCIETY FOCUS: Doublethink Lab said that Beijing is trying to coerce countries that rely on China economically to pursue policies in its favor China has stronger influence over Taiwan’s media and society than any other country, the Taipei-based Doublethink Lab think tank said yesterday, as it announced its China Index gauging Beijing’s global influence. Taiwan ranked 11th overall among 82 countries assessed, but first in terms of social and media influence, Doublethink Lab chairman Puma Shen (沈伯洋) told a news conference in Taipei. More than 200 experts and academics participated in the project, including some highly influential figures, Shen said. The index collects information from countries worldwide to gauge China’s influence and assess how Chinese policies affect them, Shen said. In terms of Chinese