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TAIPEI: The Taiwanese military has launched planes to intercept Chinese planes more than twice as many in the past year, the island’s Defense Ministry said, describing Taiwan as facing severe security challenges from its huge neighbor.
China, which claims democratic Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up its military activities near the island, responding to what Beijing calls “collusion” between Taipei and Washington.
READ: Taiwan’s defense chief says there are no signs China is preparing for war
In recent weeks, Chinese fighter jets have crossed the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an official buffer between the island and the mainland, and have flown into southwest Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
In a report to parliament, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said so far this year that the air force had been fired 4,132 times, up 129 percent compared to all of last year. , according to Reuters calculations.
China “is trying to use unilateral military action to change the security status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and at the same time it is testing our response, increasing pressure on our air defenses and reducing our activity space,” he said.
The rapid development of China’s armed forces has been accompanied by “targeted” military actions against Taiwan, the ministry added.
China has been particularly angered by growing US support for Taiwan, including senior US officials visiting the island, adding to the tensions between China and the United States.
While Taiwan cannot compete numerically with China’s armed forces, President Tsai Ing-wen has been overseeing a military modernization program, with the aim of making the island’s armed forces more agile and Taiwan more difficult to attack. .
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At a defense conference between Taiwan and the United States on Monday night (October 5), Vice Defense Minister Chang Guan-chung said China has been intensifying what it called “realistic training against Taiwan.”
“We are developing systems that are small, numerous, smart, stealth, fast, mobile, low-cost, survivable, effective, easy to develop, maintain and preserve, and difficult to detect and counter,” he said.
Chang called for greater cooperation with the United States that goes beyond arms sales, saying that would further invigorate Taiwan’s defense reform and military modernization.
“We will also emphasize the joint effort in training, operational concepts, capabilities assessment, intelligence sharing and weapons cooperation. These are equally important as the acquisition of hardware,” he said.
