Taiwan could survive a Chinese military assault unaided for two weeks if sufficient reserves were prepared for its defense, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said.
“There is no need to debate whether the Chinese military is stronger and larger than Taiwan’s. Although it is big enough to start a war, it is not capable of defeating Taiwan in two weeks,” Chiu told the Chinese-language CommonWealth Magazine in an interview published on Tuesday.
“Even if China wins, it will be unable to impose autocratic rule in a year, two years or even more than that, because Taiwanese are free people and will not tolerate being governed by a one-party state,” Chiu said.
Photo: RITCHIE B. TONGO, EPA
When asked what lessons Taiwan can learn from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Chiu said that ongoing conflict underscored the importance of maintaining preparedness at peacetime.
Unlike the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is being waged in distinct battle zones, Taiwan would in a conflict become a continuous theater of operations without clearly defined front lines or rear areas. Chiu added.
“Chinese aircraft carriers would likely be deployed in the seas to Taiwan’s east, not so much to launch attacks against Taiwan from the east coast, but to block other forces from intervening,” he said.
Photo: Chien Jung-feng, Taipei Times
Although China is more likely to deploy its aircraft carriers as a blocking force in the seas east of Taiwan, a naval threat on the east coast cannot be entirely discounted, which means the nation must not depend solely on the supply depots in the region to survive a blockade, he said.
“[Taiwan] absolutely can outlast a blockade given that we prepare sufficient materiel, and that communications with the outside world are maintained via the myriad means available to us, including the Internet and telecommunications technology,” he said.
Regarding asymmetric warfare, Chiu said the military should procure light defensive weapons that provide the capability to defeat tanks, airplanes and ships for their deterrence value.
These capabilities should form only a part of the arsenal of the nation’s armed forces, while the air, sea and land forces’ ability to operate heavy weapons and large units remain essential to defense, he said.
When asked about the increase of military exchanges from other countries, Chiu said the rise in Chinese activities in the economic, trade and technological domains has alarmed other nations and incentivized them to gain more understanding of Beijing through ties with Taiwan.
“We are simultaneously conducting exchanges with other countries to gain information from their participation in international organizations,” he said, adding that “we seek to cooperate in mutually beneficial ways with countries that can help defend Taiwan whenever the opportunity arise.”
“I have been in the military for close to forty or fifty years. I am against war … war can only end in grim victories and defeats,” he said. “War is the continuation of politics through other means, which represents failure of politics. We seek to strengthen our defense, not provoke war by giving China excuses.”
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS