Former deputy minister of national defense Lin Chong-pin (林中斌) said that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could conquer Taiwan by force within three days, but added that a peaceful unification between Taiwan and China is likely.
In an interview with the Global Times Chinese daily published yesterday, Lin said that Taiwan’s armed forces could only resist China’s “acupuncture tactics” for 48 to 72 hours, as the PLA could paralyze Taiwan’s command system using electromagnetic weapons and digital attacks.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said it was likely that Lin was quoted out of context, considering the Global Times’ hawkish stance.
Photo courtesy of Public Television Service
“China already has the ability [to carry out acupuncture warfare], which would be quite difficult for Taiwan to withstand,” Lin told the Chinese newspaper. “Taiwan has admitted that [it can only defend itself for] between 48 hours and 72 hours.”
The PLA has also infiltrated Taiwan and Beijing could subdue Taiwan in a bloodless war, he said.
The possibility of US interference in an armed conflict between Taiwan and China has diminished, as China has developed advanced anti-ship missile systems and submarine-launched cruise missiles that can target US aircraft carriers, he said.
However, it is more likely that Beijing would seek peaceful unification with Taiwan, Lin said, adding that it has “super-military measures” — the projection of China’s economic, diplomatic and cultural power predicated on its strong military presence.
China has, without resorting to military means, shifted the Philippines’ tone on the South China Sea issue after the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in Manila’s favor on the matter and Beijing could seek to exert the same sort of pressure on Taipei, he said.
Unificationist sentiment is on the rise in Taiwan, Lin said.
Despite President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration beginning to lose support, there is still a trend toward people identifying themselves as Taiwanese, he said.
Lin was a deputy minister of national defense in 2003 and 2004 while former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was in office.
“In theory, everything is possible, such as seizing Taiwan in three days. However, in reality, [war] is contingent upon a lot of things, including Taiwan’s and the US’ reaction,” Lo said.
So-called “acupuncture warfare,” or decapitation, is one of China’s key strategies and Taiwan has countermeasures in place after years of military exercises, Lo said.
The nation’s armed forces have simulated scenarios in a series of exercises to prepare for a hypothetical PLA attempt to “decapitate” Taiwan or barricade the nation, Lo said.
The former deputy minister could not be reached for comment as of press time last night.
The Ministry of National Defense refused to comment on Lin’s remarks.
ACCESS DENIAL: Beijing would likely take formation in the Philippine Sea, outside Taipei’s missile range, while its forces on the east would be a deterrent to foreign aid China is increasingly likely to employ a strategy of anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) around Taiwan, which would use three carrier groups, a report from the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. When China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, is completed next year, China would have three carriers, which would likely be used to surround Taiwan and implement an A2/AD strategy, it said, adding that efforts to strengthen China’s two other carriers — the Liaoning and the Shandong — appear to corroborate this. In the quarterly report, the council cited declassified documents from the Ministry of National Defense that categorized China’s carriers as
Two German warships are awaiting orders from Berlin to determine whether they would be the first German naval vessels in decades to pass through the Taiwan Strait next month, at the risk of stoking tensions with Beijing, a German commander said. While the US and other nations, including Canada, have sent warships through the narrow strait in recent weeks, it would be the German navy’s first passage through the Strait since 2002. China claims sovereignty over Taiwan, and says it has jurisdiction over the nearly 180km waterway that divides the two sides. Taiwan strongly objects to these claims, saying only its people
Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley yesterday called for more international backing for Taiwan and a coordinated pushback against China’s claims over the nation. “The United States should elevate Taiwan on the world stage. You should no longer be silenced in global affairs,” Haley told an audience at the Ketagalan Forum, a Taipei conference focused on security issues in the Asia-Pacific region. She called for Taiwan to become a full member of the UN, even though it is being blocked by China from representation in international bodies. While the US does not formally recognize Taiwan, it is the nation's strongest
China sent 50 military planes and vessels to the vicinity of Taiwan in the 24 hours starting at 6am on Friday, while President William Lai (賴清德) was visiting Kinmen for the first time since taking office in May to mark the 66th anniversary of the 823 Artillery Bombardment. Flight paths released yesterday by the Ministry of National Defense showed that 38 military aircraft were detected in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the highest number recorded in recent weeks. The figure included 32 that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or its extension. Of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft