The militaries of Taiwan and China should establish direct communications to avoid sparking a war amid rising cross-strait tensions, former chief of the general staff admiral Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) said on Wednesday.
Opening a two-way communication channel is crucial for both sides to avoid escalation due to misunderstanding or miscommunication, Lee said during a radio interview.
This is especially important as the Chinese People’s Liberation Army has been sending warplanes across the median line of the Taiwan Strait on a daily basis since US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei last month, he said.
Photo: CNA
“Establishing a communication channel would not mean Taiwan is bowing to Chinese pressure,” he said.
Maintaining dialogue is the only way to avoid accidents or misunderstandings that could lead to all-out war.
China stepped up its military maneuvers after Pelosi’s visit, holding several days of live-fire drills in six locations around Taiwan.
Crossing the median line is considered a more provocative move than flying into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. Taiwan and China have since the 1950s tacitly accepted delineation as an unofficial border, although it has no legal bearing. China has since 2020 said several times that it does not recognize its existence.
Lee also called on Taiwan’s military to renew its rules of engagement so that frontline soldiers can adhere to the latest guidelines and respond appropriately to Chinese provocations.
He did not elaborate, but was likely referring to Chinese drone incursions in Kinmen County near China.
Chinese Internet users have shared images and footage recorded by civilian drones as they flew over military lookout posts in Kinmen. The move was interpreted as an attempt by China to embarrass Taiwan’s military.
The Ministry of National Defense had refrained from aggressive responses, such as shooting down drones, to avoid further escalating cross-strait tensions.
However, amid criticism, the ministry on Aug. 29 announced a four-step response protocol for drone encounters, consisting of “firing warning flares, reporting the incursion, expelling the drone and shooting it down.” Troops stationed at Kinmen’s Shi Islet (獅嶼) on Sept. 1 reportedly shot down a Chinese civilian-operated drone for the first time.
Lee also urged Taiwan to create units similar to Ukraine’s Territorial Defense Forces that could defend the country alongside active military personnel.
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