China’s armed forces can “paralyse” Taiwan’s defences and are able to fully monitor its deployments, the island’s Defence Ministry has said, offering a stark assessment of the rising threat posed by its giant neighbour.
Beijing is stepping up military activities around the island, which it views as Chinese territory. It has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
In its annual report to parliament on China’s military, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters news agency on Wednesday, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry presented a far graver view than it did last year, when the report said China still lacked the capability to launch a full assault on Taiwan.
This year’s report said that China can launch what it termed “soft and hard electronic attacks”, including blocking communications across the western part of the first island chain, the string of islands that run from the Japanese archipelago, through Taiwan and down to the Philippines.
China “can combine with its internet army to launch wired and wireless attacks against the global internet, which would initially paralyse our air defences, command of the sea and counter-attack system abilities, presenting a huge threat to us”.
Beijing views Taiwan as its breakaway province, while Taipei insists on its independence since 1949.
Comment here