Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday.
His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.”
Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has instructed the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to be capable of seizing Taiwan by 2027.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Rubio said: “In essence, it has to cost more than what it’s worth.”
“Deterrence is the key,” he said, adding that deterrence “obviously begins with Taiwan’s own self-defense capabilities.”
“The harder they are to take militarily, the more time I think they buy for themselves,” he said.
When asked about the matter, Koo said in the interview that he has demanded military service personnel and the command structure to “feel urgency” when they conduct training, procure arms or make other military preparations.
A high level of combat readiness must be achieved in tangible and psychological terms, he said, adding that Taiwan has to display “fierce resolve” to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains.
“We must be sure that China wakes up every morning thinking that it is not a good day [for war],” he said.
Taiwan can force Beijing to continually postpone any plans to invade by ensuring that China would pay a heavy price for waging war, Koo said.
Rubio’s recent comments underscored Taiwan’s strategically crucial position to the security of the Indo-Pacific region and the necessity for the nation to enhance its self-defense capabilities, he said.
With that in mind, Taiwan hopes that Washington would continue to support its efforts to procure arms and train its military personnel, Koo said.
The ministry’s medium and long-term force structure strategy emphasizes developing asymmetric capabilities, enhancing defensive resilience, strengthening reserve forces and countering China’s “gray zone” tactics, he said.
Building deep stockpiles of arms, munitions and strategic material would be essential to the nation’s ability to withstand long-range precision strikes or a protracted war of attrition, he added.
“What lessons did Xi learn from three years of war between Russia and Ukraine? Was he encouraged or alarmed?” Koo asked.
If China found itself fighting in Taiwan for three years or more, it would have to face the consequences of severe economic sanctions, loss of supply chains, capital flight and a collapse of confidence in the market, he said.
Additional reporting by Fang Wei-li
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS