The Ministry of National Defense yesterday stressed the importance of building a self-sufficient, non-China-reliant national defense industry, adding that this focus is a critical part of the ministry’s efforts to develop drone production supply chains.
Department of Strategic Planning Director Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi (黃文?) made the remarks in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) yesterday, stating that, as an island, Taiwan is at high risk of being blockaded and cut off from external supplies.
Fostering a self-reliant national defense industry would mitigate the threats of such blockades, he said.
Photo: Chen Pin-yu, Taipei Times
The urgency, importance and speed of equipment delivery should determine whether it is manufactured domestically or purchased from abroad, he added.
The military should prioritize support for local industries if fostering a self-reliant, autonomous national defense industry means defense equipment could be acquired locally, Huang said, adding that foreign purchases should only be considered when domestic procurement is impossible due to technological barriers, long production times or if such an acquisition is not cost-effective.
The ministry’s plan to build local drone production supply chains is an essential step toward establishing a fully decoupled supply chain from Chinese suppliers, he said.
Photo: Chen Pin-yu, Taipei Times
The Armament Bureau also plans to increase munitions production for various weapons and is fostering the necessary local industries, he added.
Taiwan should no longer be content to simply increase production capacity for the Armaments Bureau or the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, but should instead leverage the nation’s advanced precision technology sector and strong production capacity to foster an autonomous national defense industry, Huang said.
The number of M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to be sold to Taiwan in the announcement made by US President Donald Trump’s administration on Dec. 17 last year was not less than before, but was the “most reliable estimate” that the US can provide, based on US manufacturer capability and in light of orders placed by other countries, he said.
The number of Paladin howitzers agreed for sale has fallen short of expectations, but it is the most reliable estimate of equipment that can be delivered on time, Huang said, adding that Taiwan has received all 29 sets of HIMARS previously purchased.
Acquisition of these systems would be key to the army’s transition upgrades for its units, he said, adding that the ministry would continue to maintain close contact with the US to adjust equipment purchases based on the enemy’s threat level.
Ministry spokesman Major General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) in the same interview said that if the special defense budget is not passed, the international community would begin to doubt Taiwan’s resolve to defend itself, which would have negative ramifications.
The number of Chinese jets spotted has increased by 7 percent in the past year, while the number of ships has increased by 23 percent, Sun said.
If narrowed down to Taiwan’s quick reaction zone, the number of Chinese jets has nearly doubled, he said, adding that this showed that the line between military exercise and actual invasive maneuver is increasingly blurred.
Only by increasing its capabilities quickly can Taiwan’s military show China that it should not act rashly and that such actions would come at a cost, Sun said, adding that such deterrence would pave the way for possible peace talks.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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