Signing a cross-strait “peace agreement” would be the most dangerous outcome, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) said on Friday in reaction to a think tank report on the potential economic and cyberwarfare tactics China might use on Taiwan.
The Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies released a report on a tabletop exercise it recently organized to analyze how vulnerable Taiwan is to China’s economic and cyber warfare tactics, warning that Beijing might use those to compel Taipei to surrender without military force.
Commenting on the matter, Shen said that China is already using these kinds of “gray zone” tactics — such as harassment, disinformation, and economic, legal and cyber attacks — as part of a hybrid warfare strategy.
Photo: Reuters
The most dangerous outcome would be China forcing Taiwan into signing a “peace treaty” under duress, which would turn the invasion of the nation into a domestic issue rather than an international act of war, he said.
China has been using “gray zone” tactics even during peacetime, such as its attempts to manipulate public opinion, launching of cyberattacks on Taiwan’s digital infrastructure, encroaching on the nation’s territorial waters, and placing economic sanctions on industries, companies and individuals that are reliant on China’s market, Shen said.
If China suddenly escalated tensions, for example, by launching cyberattacks on critical infrastructure such hospitals, it would be difficult for Taiwan and its allies to determine if it was an act of war, he said.
Shen said he agreed with the think tank’s report, which said that “gray zone” warfare is Taiwan’s biggest concern and that war simulations must include these tactics as part of modern hybrid warfare.
He said he has long advocated for a hybrid war strategy, as solely depending on military force would not be enough to defend the country from modern threats.
China’s goal is to push Taiwan into signing an agreement, perhaps even bypassing the central government and negotiating with local governments directly, to make the invasion a domestic issue and prevent foreign intervention, Shen said.
Some lawmakers have promoted the possibility of a peace agreement, which plays into China’s plans and poses a significant threat to Taiwan, he added.
China’s cyberattacks against Taiwan have increased dramatically since 2016, with recent reports saying that Beijing has been working with Russian hackers, Shen said.
Taiwan should analyze and examine every small attack to prevent further exploits and fix vulnerabilities, he added.
Shen compared these small attacks to disassembled rockets smuggled in discreetly: each individual piece could become small vulnerabilities that could one day be used in a massive attack.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS