The Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) announced that Taiwan’s armed forces are to concentrate on the production of corvettes, which undoubtedly sends a clear positive message to those who advocate for the “micro-class missile assault boats.”
Taiwan proper is an island. Based on previous wars, as well as the objectives and probable attack scenarios of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the key to defending Taiwan is to protect its airfields and ports, and keep the commercial traffic channels safe and open, as much as is possible.
As long as ports can function and the US is able to send military aid, the situation, politically speaking, would become a confrontation between China and the US. The US having Taiwan’s back would deter Beijing most effectively.
To secure ports, it is imperative to keep the PLA’s undersea forces at a distance. Therefore, advanced anti-submarine ships are a must. Meanwhile, China would threaten Taiwan with its air force, using it to attack surface targets. Taiwan must therefore maintain a certain number of advanced aircraft to maintain local air superiority.
Taiwan also needs to enhance its ground facilities to protect them, and ensure the quality and sustainability of its armed forces. That way, Taiwan can extend the length of time it is able to rely on its own defense while receiving US military aid.
As it would be difficult to develop indigenous advanced fighter jets, the nation must maintain its anti-submarine warfare capabilities. Should there be a war, Taiwan can ensure sea channels are not blocked. In peacetime, it can execute reconnaissance and surveillance in the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, the corvettes Chiu mentioned are extremely important.
As a platform and vehicle, corvettes are indispensable for Taiwan. Although the military has relatively little experience manufacturing the surface combatants, it is necessary to start the process. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, as they say.
The government should initiate the research and development of surface ships. With a prototype, Taiwanese developers can use their technology and experience to refine them.
The process might be long, but this is the path that every strong country must take when consolidating its national defense.
Chiu also commented on possible collaborations between the Ministry of National Defense and civilian defense forces, a concept that the media has reported on in the past few weeks.
Commenting that he did not know much about the Kuma Academy, which has received backing from United Microelectronics Corp founder Robert Tsao (曹興誠), Chiu said that he was not sure how the military could collaborate with the group or how to position the civilians it trains.
This was an appropriate response. Chiu properly accounted for public opinion and national security.
Of course, Taiwan should encourage Taiwanese to care about and support national defense. Society should also praise those who are willing to participate in the armed forces.
However, with limited resources, it would be difficult to conduct the required loyalty checks and ensure advisory controls for all participants.
The ministry controls the resources for practical training at a critical time with great responsibility. Regarding the civilians’ proposal, it is only correct that the ministry be discreet in its response.
Chang Kuo-cheng is an international relations professor at Taipei Medical University.
Translated by Liu Yi-hung
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
Chinese President and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) said in a politburo speech late last month that his party must protect the “bottom line” to prevent systemic threats. The tone of his address was grave, revealing deep anxieties about China’s current state of affairs. Essentially, what he worries most about is systemic threats to China’s normal development as a country. The US-China trade war has turned white hot: China’s export orders have plummeted, Chinese firms and enterprises are shutting up shop, and local debt risks are mounting daily, causing China’s economy to flag externally and hemorrhage internally. China’s
During the “426 rally” organized by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party under the slogan “fight green communism, resist dictatorship,” leaders from the two opposition parties framed it as a battle against an allegedly authoritarian administration led by President William Lai (賴清德). While criticism of the government can be a healthy expression of a vibrant, pluralistic society, and protests are quite common in Taiwan, the discourse of the 426 rally nonetheless betrayed troubling signs of collective amnesia. Specifically, the KMT, which imposed 38 years of martial law in Taiwan from 1949 to 1987, has never fully faced its
RSS