Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is unlikely to have the capability to successfully invade Taiwan by 2027, National Security Council (NSC) Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said yesterday, casting doubt on the progress of Beijing’s military modernization plans.
Taiwan would continue to delay the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) invasion timetable by strengthening its defense capabilities, Koo said.
“I don’t think it will happen in the near future or at least within one to two years,” Koo said of a Chinese invasion.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“If China needs to carry out amphibious landing operations to take Taiwan, I don’t think it will have such capabilities by 2027,” he said.
Koo declined to pinpoint when an attack could happen, saying only that Taiwan does not see Beijing making invasion preparations.
Beijing is already facing uncertainty next year from its own economic downturn, while the world must also deal with the US election, and wars in Europe and the Middle East, he said.
Xi is seeking to build a “world-class force” by 2027, a deadline that coincides with the 100th anniversary of the PLA.
Then-chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley last year said that Beijing’s military would not be ready to invade Taiwan for “some time.”
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Brown Jr last week said he doubts Beijing plans to take Taiwan militarily.
Koo said Taiwan would use mobile weapons such as anti-ship missiles, HIMARS, drones and Javelin anti-tank systems to make China’s landing operations more difficult in the event of an invasion.
The US plans to accelerate a HIMARS shipment by one year to 2026.
Earlier this month, Koo said the US government is taking steps to speed up the delivery of US weapons systems to Taiwan that have been delayed by factors including shipments to Ukraine.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or