China has been upgrading its major weapons systems and building up the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) as part of its goal to have a strong enough fighting force to attack Taiwan by 2020, according to the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) 2015 National Defense Report released yesterday.
Despite improved relations and increased links between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait in recent years, the Chinese government still prepares for a cross-strait conflict and is enhancing the PLA’s ability to conduct large-scale warfare and to deter foreign forces from intervening in any invasion, the biennal report said.
“China believes foreign interference would be its biggest concern if it attacks Taiwan,” the report said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Taiwan’s armed forces would continue to bolster their defense capabilities and naval patrol missions to assert the nation’s sovereignty over the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) and Itu Aba (Taiping Island, 太平島) in the South China Sea, both cited as potential conflict areas, the report said.
A robust military strength is needed in these South China Sea islands to buttress nation’s territorial sovereignty and preserve its maritime rights and interests, along with maintaining freedom of navigation for transit passage in international waters, it said.
China’s annual military budget has been growing by double-digit rates over the past decade, focusing on naval and air forces to project Chinese military power in the region, the report said.
Due to China’s rapid weapons build-up and modernization of its combat capability, the cross-strait military imbalance is widening, causing concern in neighboring countries, the report said.
China has dramatically upgraded its early warning system, command and control operation, battleground reconnaissance, airplane and vessel navigation, communications encryption and precise striking capability, it said.
The PLA has also sped up the army’s mechanization, upgraded its information technology and live fire drills, strengthened airborne transportation and strategic research and development, and now has a “triphibious” landing combat capability that could “seize the outlying islands” of Taiwan, the report said.
The report also questioned China’s reported military spending, which it said was significantly understated.
Also covered in the report is the government’s efforts to develop an all-volunteer military composed mainly of career professionals.
To help raise public awareness of the government efforts to maintain national security, the report’s release was accompanied by a comic book version and a board game for youngsters, ministry spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) said.
Additional reporting by CNA and AFP
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS