China is increasing military activities near Taiwan and honing its ability to stage a surprise attack, as well as seeking to undermine trust in the government with "hybrid" online warfare tactics, the defense ministry said today.
Taiwan has faced increased military pressure from Beijing during the past five years, including at least seven rounds of major war games around Taiwan since 2022.
"The Chinese communists have adopted routine grey zone harassment tactics, combined with joint combat readiness patrols, targeted military exercises and cognitive warfare, posing a comprehensive threat to us," the defense ministry said in a report released every two years.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
Grey zone refers to non-combat operations designed to put pressure on Taiwan such as coast guard patrols, causing damage to undersea cables, and flying balloons.
China's coast guard is expanding its activities around Taiwan and may in future take "aggressive containment measures" in concert with the military while rehearsing attack scenarios, the report said.
Beijing is also using "hybrid warfare" to weaken people's trust in the government and support for defense spending, and using artificial intelligence tools to weaken Taiwan's cybersecurity and to scan for weak points in critical infrastructure, it added.
"Through both conventional and unconventional military actions, it aims to test its capabilities for attacking Taiwan and confronting foreign forces," the ministry said.
China's defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
China could also try to suddenly shift drills into active combat mode to catch Taiwan and its international supporters off guard, posing a significant threat to regional peace and security, Taiwan's ministry added.
In recent years, China has been extensively using civilian roll-on/roll-off merchant vessels for military transport operations and continues to develop specialized equipment for beach landing operations, the ministry said.
The report was released one day before Lai gives his key national day speech tomorrow. China last year held war games after that same event in what it said was a warning to "separatist acts."
China's last formal war games around Taiwan took place in April, though its warplanes and warships operate almost daily in the skies and waters close to Taiwan.
The observatory at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to reopen tomorrow after nearly two years of renovation, the Civil Aviation Administration said yesterday. The civil aviation authority made the announcement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend after Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) visited the renovated facility yesterday morning. Chen said he loved watching planes fly overhead in Taipei’s Binjiang Street, adding that he was particularly impressed by the childcare room as well as the futuristic-style entrance to the observatory. Taipei International Airport Office is conducting a final inspection of the observatory today and tomorrow before reopening it
Taiwanese scientists have engineered plants that can capture about 50 percent more carbon dioxide and produce more than twice as many seeds as unmodified plants, a breakthrough they hope could one day help mitigate global warming and grow more food staples such as rice. If applied to major food crops, the new system could cut carbon emissions and raise yields “without additional equipment or labor costs,” Academia Sinica researcher and lead author the study Lu Kuan-jen (呂冠箴) said. Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said that as humans emit 9.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with the 220 billion tonnes absorbed
TEST RUNS? The site’s improved accuracy shows Beijing intends to use it to train PLA forces in conducting strikes against Taiwan’s leadership in the zone, an official said The military has deployed multiple medium and close-range air defense missile and artillery systems, anti-drone countermeasures and combat unit to defend Boai Special District (博愛特區), a defense official said yesterday. Boai District is home to the Presidential Office Building, the Ministry of National Defense and many other government buildings. The official made the remarks after Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun in a report on Wednesday said China has expanded its military training mock-up of government buildings in Taipei, which includes the Presidential Office Building, by almost 300 percent since 2020. Satellite images obtained by think tank Japan Institute for National Fundamentals of the
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
RSS