Taiwanese military’s plan to use mountain barrier as natural shield called into question as PLA expands presence to the east

The island’s military has long planned to shelter forces on the harder-to-attack east of the island in the event of a full-scale assault from the Chinese mainland

But one former commander says the PLA’s increasing shows of air and sea power off the east coast mean the island is vulnerable to being attacked in the rear

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A Taiwanese C130 transport plane prepares to land at the Chihhang Base in eastern Taiwan, one of the sites of a large hangar protected by the mountains. Photo: CNA

Published: 12:30pm, 29 Jul 2023

The Taiwanese military’s long-standing plan to preserve its forces on the east side of the island in the event of an attack from the Chinese mainland has been called into question after increasing shows of strength from the People’s Liberation Army.

Unlike the heavily fortified west of the island – the side closest to the mainland – the east is shielded by the Central Mountain Range, making it harder for the PLA to attack.

Taking advantage of this natural barrier, the island’s military has built two large underground hangars – one at the Chiashan base in Hualien county and one in Chihhang in Taitung county.

For years the annual Han Kuang military exercise has been used to test the abilities of Taiwan’s air force and navy to move planes and ships from the west to take shelter in the east and wait for the right time to stage a counter-strike.

But the PLA has been stepping up its activities in the east, regularly sending planes into the island’s eastern and southeastern air defence identification zones and more warships and submarines into the waters off the east coast.

In April, Taiwanese Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng confirmed that the PLA had deployed its Shandong aircraft carrier in waters about 200 nautical miles (370km) east of Taiwan in a three-day mega drill that followed President Tsai Ing-wen’s meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.

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