US Undersecretary of Homeland Security for Strategy, Policy and Plans Robert Silvers on Friday warned of the risks that using Chinese telecommunications equipment could have on global infrastructure.
At an event hosted by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank on the topic of cybersecurity, Silvers said he and other US officials were urging other countries to avoid using Chinese telecommunications equipment, to prevent introducing information security risks.
“It may be that the Chinese-controlled technology is the cheapest available, but it may also be that that’s not the final bill to arrive,” he said. “What happens five years, 10 years down the road when the government of the People’s Republic of Society has the ability to pull the rug out from under your entire society?”
Photo: Screen grab from a Center for Strategic and International Studies video
Separately, Mark Montgomery, senior director of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies’ Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, was quoted by Voice of America’s Chinese-language Web site on Saturday as saying that the US Department of Defense should assist Taiwan in dealing with cybersecurity challenges.
China would not likely attempt a military landing on Taiwan, but would instead engage in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s key infrastructure, including its power grid, water supply and other systems, he was quoted as saying.
China might also try to use cybertools to destroy Taiwan’s satellite communications, he added.
US assistance would involve researching critical infrastructure, finding vulnerabilities and devising ways to protect against them, he said.
Montgomery was one of the primary authors of a report the foundation published on Friday titled The Attack on America’s Future: Cyber-Enabled Economic Warfare.
The report said the US must work with allies to defend against cyberattacks by aggressive nations.
“Cyberattacks on critical infrastructure could disrupt a U.S. military mobilization in defense of Taiwan or interfere with other military operations by China’s adversaries,” the report said, citing information from James Mulvenon’s book The People’s Liberation Army in the Information Age.
The report said China aims to take control of global information and communications infrastructure.
“Altogether, China has implemented a coherent long-term strategy to control key nodes in the global economy and communications infrastructure — all at the expense of the United States and its allies,” the report said.
Ultimately, China’s aim is to “alter global dynamics to promote its interests while diminishing the influence of the United States and other free-market democracies,” it said, citing Vijay Gokhale’s Foreign Policy article “China is Gnawing at Democracy’s Roots Worldwide”.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
RSS