Taiwan is developing “asymmetrical strategies” utilizing unconventional capabilities to counter China’s military buildup, Deputy Minister of National Defense Andrew Yang (楊念祖) said at a conference in Richmond, Virginia, on Monday.
In a keynote speech at this year’s US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, Yang addressed an emerging China’s impact on Asia-Pacific security, Taiwan’s response and the objectives Taiwan and the US could work on together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
He described Taiwan’s asymmetrical mindset as one of “David against Goliath” to deal with the growing military imbalance across the Taiwan Strait.
Photo: CNA
“In combination with innovative weapons and defensive countermeasure weapons, Taiwan integrates conventional and unconventional warfare flexibility to create cost-efficient, highly efficient and attainable ‘asymmetric/innovative’ powers,” Yang said.
That way, Taiwan can maximize its advantages to hit the most vulnerable parts of the enemy, sabotage the enemy’s operations and gain mobility, he said.
“This is exactly how size does not matter,” he said.
Yang also stressed that Taiwan cannot produce weapons indigenously for technological or cost reasons and has to buy them from other countries.
“Everything we want to buy is defensive because we need to replace our outdated weapons with new ones, instead of engaging in an arms race,” Yang said.
On reports that the US has decided to offer Taiwan an upgrade to its F-16A/B fleet, but not the more advanced F-16C/D aircraft that Taipei had hoped to acquire, Yang reaffirmed that Taiwan needs the more advanced fighters to replace the air force’s aging F-5E/Fs.
The advanced jet fighters and diesel-electric submarines that Taiwan has also requested both have a direct impact on peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, Yang said.
He also pledged that Taiwan would never provoke hostilities or launch a first strike, but said that it needed to protect itself and take countermeasures if it came under attack.
Taiwan had to have the ability to survive a first strike, to counter decapitation strikes, initiate mobile counterstrikes and survive prolonged operations, he said.
If an enemy initiated an attack, Taiwan would have to draw on its advantages by employing its defensive countermeasure capabilities to hit key military targets and amphibious troops assembling at ports, he said.
As a battle progressed, Taiwan would place more emphasis on joint interdiction and joint anchorage attacks to stop the enemy from traveling across the Taiwan Strait and delay their arrival in Taiwan, he said.
Also speaking at the conference, Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), a former representative to the US under the previous Democratic Progressive Party administration, said if the US rejected the sale of F-16C/Ds because of pressure from China, it would be even harder for it to sell more sensitive weapons to Taiwan.
Wu, who said the US had been lukewarm to selling new fighters to Taiwan in the past, said it was not a good thing for the F-16C/Ds to become the focus of the international community, because Taiwan’s needs for equipment related to naval and joint warfare operations could be affected.
He said if the US felt caught between Chinese pressure and its obligations under the Taiwan Relations Act, it could provide technological assistance to help Taiwan produce defensive weapons, such as smaller submarines, and build a self-sufficient defense industry.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by