China’s “united front” tactics targeting Taiwan’s outlying islands bear a resemblance to the Russian infiltration of Crimea before Moscow’s 2014 invasion of the territory, Taiwan’s top national security official said yesterday.
National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) made the remark in response to questions from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲) at the Legislative Yuan.
Lo drew parallels between Moscow’s justification of its 2022 invasion as “de-Nazifying” Ukraine and Chinese Nationalist Party Chairman Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) comparison of President William La (賴清德) to Adolf Hitler.
Photo: Wang Teng-yi, Taipei Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pledged cooperation in fighting neo-Nazism in their meeting earlier this month, she said, before asking if Beijing is shaping a narrative to legitimize an invasion of Taiwan.
Tsai said the bureau is studying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to identify tactics Beijing might imitate in a military conflict with Taiwan.
Russia’s and Ukraine’s use of drones in the war is of particular interest to the bureau, he said.
The bureau is also observing whether Beijing would copy Russian political propaganda and cognitive warfare techniques, he added.
Describing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a Nazi leader has been a staple in Moscow’s political strategy to justify the war, Tsai said.
The NSB identified a push by Moscow to intensify the economic, cultural and ethnic integration of Ukraine and occupied Crimea shortly before the war, a tactic that resembled China’s strategy targeting Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, he said.
Regarding a rise in illegal border crossings by Chinese nationals, Tsai said investigators have not ruled out the possibility that some of the cases were part of Beijing-directed espionage.
An economic motive could explain other cases involving impoverished Chinese nationals, he said.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS