China's top military strategy against Taiwan is a sudden strike that will paralyze air force defenses without giving the US sufficient time to come to Taiwan's aid, according to a report released by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday.
The party's China Affairs Department published a report on China's basic military capabilities in which it is said that Beijing has developed a "sudden strike" strategy to attack Taiwan.
Such an attack would consist of an initial "seven minute shock and strike" missile barrage to paralyze Taiwan's command system, followed by 17 minutes in which Taiwan's air space will be invaded by fighter jets. Within 24 hours of the strike 258,000 Chinese troops could be deployed in Taiwan.
According to the report, prepared by the Institute for Taiwan Defense and Strategic Studies (
China's fast-growing military modernization and expansion is aimed at a possible war between 2005 and 2010, according to the report.
"China's non-stop military expansion is a result of its wanting to keep playing an active role in Asia, outmatch neighboring countries such as Japan and India and counter the effects of US forces in the region. Taiwan must seek to improve its military capabilities in the coming six to 10 years in the face of China's military ambitions signifying a war between 2005 and 2010," the report states.
DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung (
"China's annual military spen-ding is seven times that of Taiwan and is expected to increase up to 10 times along with its ongoing economic development in the near future.
"Taiwan will never be able to compete with China's military expansion ? We should move some of the money budgeted for defensive missile capabilities to the development of pre-emptive missile-strike capabilities," Lee said.
The rate of China's military expansion has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years, with an estimated US$60 billion being spent on military purposes annually.
Taiwan's military spending is US$8 billion a year, half of which is used for personnel expenses, Lee said.
To counter the military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait, Lee said Taiwan should use both military and political means to ease the growing military threats from China.
The political approach would include bringing the issue of cross-strait military tensions to the attention of the international community, which would deter China from using force against Taiwan.
Lee said President Chen Shui-bian's (
Shu Chin-chiang (蘇進強), a former senior advisor to the National Security Council, yesterday warned that the Taiwanese should not be so dazzled by the attraction of China's markets that they ignore the underlying military threat.
Shu said China's definition of Taiwanese independence, which has led to threats of war, varies from time to time.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
RSS