While conventional war between Taiwan and China is unlikely, low-intensity conflict is a possibility, security analysts said in Taipei.
In light of an increase in military activity conducted near Taiwan by China, it would be advisable for the military to be on the alert for low-intensity conflict, which can start with very little warning, retired air force deputy commander Lieutenant General Chang Yen-ting (張延廷) told a security forum on Tuesday.
The hotspots for potential low-intensity armed conflict include the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) and Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) in the South China Sea, as well as Wuciou Township (烏坵) in Kinmen County, which are all under Taiwan’s jurisdiction, Chang said.
One common characteristic of the islands is that they are “easy to attack, but difficult to defend,” he said.
Yuan Ze University social and policy sciences professor Chen Ching-pu (陳勁甫) said that a military conflict between Taiwan and China is not a remote possibility, as they have been testing each other’s red line on various issues.
The two sides should reduce hostilities and avoid such a crisis, as there would be no winner in a war, Chen said.
Former National Security Bureau director Tsai De-sheng (蔡得勝) said that nationalistic sentiment is high in China due to the political developments in Hong Kong, the pressure resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and the worry that Taiwan might move toward independence.
Beijing might take a tougher stance in the region to divert domestic attention from those issues, which could lead to a more complicated regional situation, Tsai said.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research research fellow Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌) said that accidental encounters between China and the US are possible, despite the preventive mechanisms that are in place.
The two nations differ on many regional issues, and both have been conducting military maneuvers near the Korean Peninsula, and in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, Shu said.
Although their restrained actions indicate that neither side wants a conflict, they are obviously both preparing for such an eventuality, Shu added.
There were 18 instances of US military ships or planes passing near Taiwan last month, while Chinese military assets were spotted 13 times, according to the July 3 edition of Defense Security magazine.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
RSS