Taiwan won’t start a war with mainland but ‘will meet the enemy full on’, defence minister says

Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng acknowledges recent PLA sorties into island’s air defence zone constrained by limited mid-air refuelling capacity

China’s Washington embassy complains to the US government over meeting between Taiwan’s de facto ambassador and senior US diplomats

Reading Time:2 minutes

Helicopters fly in front of the presidential building in Taipei on Sunday, the Double Tenth holiday. Photo: AP

Published: 1:09pm, 14 Oct 2021Updated: 10:34pm, 14 Oct 2021

Taiwan will not start a war with Beijing but will defend itself “full on”, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thursday, amid a spike in tensions across the Taiwan Strait that has raised concern internationally.

Taiwan, a major semiconductor producer, has repeatedly said it would defend itself if attacked, but that it would not “advance rashly” and wanted to maintain the status quo with the mainland.

“What is clearest is that the Republic of China absolutely will not start or set off a war, but if there are movements we will meet the enemy full on,” Chiu told a parliament committee meeting, using Taiwan’s official name.

Military tensions with Beijing, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, are at their worst in more than 40 years, Chiu said last week, adding that Beijing would be capable of mounting a “full scale” invasion by 2025.

He was speaking after the People’s Liberation Army mounted four consecutive days of mass air force sorties into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone beginning on October 1, part of a pattern of what Taipei views as stepped-up military harassment by Beijing.

No shots have been fired and PLA aircraft have stayed well away from Taiwan’s airspace, concentrating their activity in the southwestern corner of Taiwan’s air defence zone.

The ministry, in a report to parliament ahead of Chiu’s appearance before lawmakers, warned the mainland of strong countermeasures if its forces got too close to the island.