Beijing should stop threatening Taiwan because it’s not strong enough to fight the US, island’s ex-premier says
Attempts to intimidate self-ruled island will not work while PLA lacks military power to prevent American intervention, Jiang Yi-huah says
Former Taiwanese Premier Jiang Yi-huah has warned Beijing to stop using its military to intimidate the island, saying Beijing was not strong enough to deter the United States.
“Military intimidation only works when Beijing makes sure its military might is strong enough to defeat the United States if the People’s Liberation Army is going to attack Taiwan,” Jiang, who was appointed by former Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou as premier in February 2013, said on Thursday.
Beijing has stepped up military drills around Taiwan in recent months, frequently sending its H-6K bombers and fighters jets, as well as the PLA’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, to conduct regular “island encirclement” patrols.
On Thursday night, state-run China Central Television broadcast for the first time footage showing J-15 fighters conducting successful nighttime take-off and landing drills on the Liaoning – indicating that pilots had finally achieved a basic requirement for all-weather combat.