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

Taiwan

Reuters

Published: 1:09pm, 14 Oct 2021

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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.

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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.

Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told a parliament committee meeting: “ … if there are movements we will meet the enemy full on”.

Chiu agreed with an assessment from a lawmaker that Beijing’s abilities were constrained by a limited mid-air refuelling capacity, meaning it had only H-6 bombers and Y-8 anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft that had flown into the Bashi Channel separating Taiwan from the Philippines.

PLA fighters have kept much closer to the mainland coast, according to maps of their activity drawn up by Chiu’s ministry.

“Their aims are on the one hand to pressure Taiwan, and on the other to say to everyone else we have the ability to scare away and obstruct foreign military forces from getting involved,” he said.

On Wednesday, Beijing called its military activities a “just” move to protect peace and stability, and again blamed Taiwan’s “collusion” with foreign forces – a veiled reference to the United States – for sowing the tension.

On the same day, China’s Washington embassy said it had complained to the US government about a meeting between Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the country and senior US diplomats, and of the visit of Taiwan’s army commander, Hsu Yen-pu, to the US.

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“The US should not fantasise (about) seeking China’s support and cooperation while wantonly challenging China’s red line on the Taiwan question,” it said.

Speaking earlier in the week, Chiu said Hsu was not in the US on a secret trip but as part of regular annual exchanges, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency.