https://www.scmp.com/rss/522926/feed The latest news and top stories on Su Tzu-yun. An expert in defence and security, he serves as a Research Fellow and Director at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defence and Security Research, and an Assistant Professor at Tamkang University. He has expertise in military strategies, defence economics, and Indo-Pacific geopolitics. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Pressure from Washington was likely to have played a decisive role in Taiwan’s opposition parties backing a sharply expanded special defence budget last week, analysts said, as concerns mount in Taipei ahead of a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. The anxiety centres on potential concessions from Trump this week in exchange for economic gains from Beijing, which views Taiwan as a core interest and the “biggest risk” in ties with the US, and has kept... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3353177/did-us-pressure-xi-trump-summit-force-kmt-hand-taiwans-defence-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3353177/did-us-pressure-xi-trump-summit-force-kmt-hand-taiwans-defence-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 May 2026 15:02:28 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan has received its final shipment of US-made M1A2T Abrams tanks, completing a long-delayed order aimed at modernising the island’s ageing armoured forces. Considered among the world’s most powerful tanks, these vehicles are expected to bolster the island’s defence amid rising military pressure from Beijing. The shipment of 28 tanks arrived at the Port of Taipei over the weekend and was moved overnight under police and military escort to the army’s Armour Training Command in Hsinchu county’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3351596/taiwan-completes-us-tank-deal-final-abrams-shipment-reaches-port?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3351596/taiwan-completes-us-tank-deal-final-abrams-shipment-reaches-port?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:15 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan’s defence ministry has outlined a wartime strategy of using long-range firepower to “slow the advance” of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces in the event of a cross-strait assault. The ministry report on Monday comes as lawmakers began formal discussions on a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget. The ministry said the military would prioritise targeting the incoming adversary – including amphibious fleets and logistics support forces – as they mobilised and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347617/deny-delay-degrade-taiwan-unveils-long-range-strategy-hold-pla-strait?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3347617/deny-delay-degrade-taiwan-unveils-long-range-strategy-hold-pla-strait?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:00:41 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Lessons from the wars in Iran and Ukraine are pushing Taipei to rethink its air-defence strategy, with officials now warning that expensive missiles alone cannot stop large waves of rockets and drones. In a report submitted to Taiwan’s lawmakers on Monday, the island’s defence ministry said low-cost interceptor weapons were urgently needed to counter the mainland Chinese military’s growing arsenal of long-range rockets and uncrewed aircraft. The new systems would form part of Taiwan’s planned... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346773/what-lessons-does-taiwan-see-iran-and-ukraine-its-air-defence-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3346773/what-lessons-does-taiwan-see-iran-and-ukraine-its-air-defence-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Mar 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan’s legislature has agreed to begin reviewing a long-stalled special defence budget, but competing opposition proposals are set to complicate passage of the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) plan despite mounting pressure from the United States. Lawmakers began scrutinising the bill on Friday, as three rival proposals from the island’s main political parties exposed deep divisions over how much Taiwan should spend on defence and what mix of foreign weapons and home-grown... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345756/taiwan-starts-review-defence-bill-competing-proposals-expose-divisions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345756/taiwan-starts-review-defence-bill-competing-proposals-expose-divisions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Mar 2026 04:00:12 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan has reacted to the US strike on Iran with surprise, strategic calculation and renewed debate over the island’s air defence readiness. While some observers were struck by what they saw as overwhelming US military dominance, others said the conflict underscored the urgency of accelerating plans to build a more integrated, layered air defence network amid mounting pressure from Beijing. On Monday, the island’s cabinet said relevant ministries were “closely monitoring developments in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345172/us-strike-iran-fuels-taiwans-air-defence-debate-and-energy-supply-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3345172/us-strike-iran-fuels-taiwans-air-defence-debate-and-energy-supply-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 14:00:22 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan’s procurement of three US arms packages has come under renewed scrutiny, with military experts now questioning their effectiveness in deterring Beijing. The debate has sharpened after opposition parties repeatedly blocked a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget in the legislature’s procedure committee last month. At the centre of the latest criticism are three US-approved systems for Taiwan: the Patriot PAC-3 missile defence system and its upgrades, the National... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344968/taiwan-buying-expensive-us-weapons-systems-are-they-right-ones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344968/taiwan-buying-expensive-us-weapons-systems-are-they-right-ones?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 13:00:09 +0000 Lawrence Chung,William Zheng Lawrence Chung,William Zheng Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s sweeping victory in Sunday’s snap election has sounded alarm bells in Beijing, which is wary that closer ties between Tokyo and Taipei could complicate its long-term objective of reunifying Taiwan. Beijing’s annual work conference on Taiwan affairs, held on Monday and Tuesday, came just after Japan’s lower-house election, in which Takaichi’s party secured a two-thirds supermajority. At the event, Wang Huning, the Communist Party’s fourth-ranked leader,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343095/how-sanae-takaichis-big-win-japan-may-complicate-beijings-taiwan-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3343095/how-sanae-takaichis-big-win-japan-may-complicate-beijings-taiwan-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Feb 2026 01:00:17 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan has conducted a series of shallow-water submerged tests of its indigenous submarine prototype over the past two weeks, marking a key step towards potential navy delivery as early as June. The Hai Kun, or Narwhal, is part of the island’s Indigenous Defence Submarine programme, a project widely seen as central to its efforts to boost asymmetric naval capabilities amid increasing military pressure from Beijing. Surface navigation tests began last year, with undersea trials and weapons... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342948/will-taiwan-meet-submarine-delivery-deadline-unlock-defence-budget-hai-kun-tests?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3342948/will-taiwan-meet-submarine-delivery-deadline-unlock-defence-budget-hai-kun-tests?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Feb 2026 02:00:13 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan is moving to plug one-year conscripts directly into frontline combined-arms operations, mandating joint live-fire training with troops across all services to bolster resilience against a potential attack from Beijing. But the push is facing challenges, with experts saying that the inexperienced recruits could become a battlefield burden while the military also deals with training capacity issues and weakening public resolve on defending the island. The Taiwanese cabinet’s latest policy... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342711/taiwan-wants-train-effective-reserve-force-will-live-fire-drills-do-job?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3342711/taiwan-wants-train-effective-reserve-force-will-live-fire-drills-do-job?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 06:00:20 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan’s absence from the United States’ newly released 2026 National Defence Strategy has fuelled fresh debate on the island over whether Washington is deliberately sidestepping Taiwan as it prioritises bigger interests with Beijing. The omission is in sharp contrast with earlier editions of the Pentagon’s quadrennial flagship strategy, which had explicitly referred to Beijing’s pressure on Taiwan and pledged support for the island’s asymmetric defence. The 2022 iteration mentioned the island... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3341816/us-defence-strategy-omission-raises-alarm-taiwan-over-trumps-intentions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3341816/us-defence-strategy-omission-raises-alarm-taiwan-over-trumps-intentions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 04:00:09 +0000 Amber Wang Amber Wang The first confirmed deployment of a PLA drone within Taiwan’s claimed airspace is the latest example of Beijing’s “salami-slicing” strategy towards the self-ruled island, analysts say. One observer noted it was also meant to test, wear down and put pressure on Taiwan’s military. Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Saturday that a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) surveillance drone had entered its self-defined airspace – meaning the space above the 12-nautical-mile (22km) territorial sea baseline... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340877/what-beijings-drone-flight-over-pratas-island-means-its-taiwan-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3340877/what-beijings-drone-flight-over-pratas-island-means-its-taiwan-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 23 Jan 2026 04:00:15 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth was in a belligerently high mood after the Pentagon’s successful operation to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in the dead of night. After all, the guy managed not to leak the US war plan in unsecure chat groups before the raid in Caracas, as he did with the US bombing of Houthi militias in Yemen in March. Remember that one? Maybe I have a warped sense of humour, but I still find this passage from the chief editor of the Atlantic,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339141/us-raid-venezuela-lays-bare-its-law-jungle-approach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339141/us-raid-venezuela-lays-bare-its-law-jungle-approach?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Jan 2026 12:30:11 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung The US “decapitation-style” operation against Venezuela’s leadership has heightened concerns in Taiwan that Beijing could one day attempt a similar strike against the island, even though Taipei has played down such a possibility. The anxiety has been amplified by the People’s Liberation Army’s two-day drills around Taiwan last week, parts of which simulated joint operations aimed at paralysing political and military command structures – a scenario analysts say echoes elements of leadership... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338812/us-decapitation-strike-venezuela-sparks-pla-copycat-fears-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338812/us-decapitation-strike-venezuela-sparks-pla-copycat-fears-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 05 Jan 2026 13:03:24 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan is seeking to fuse satellite, radar and drone data into a “connectivity” network as part of Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s multibillion-dollar bid to build a layered defence shield to counter Beijing’s possible missile attacks. The plan, which Lai calls the “Taiwan shield” and officials and analysts often refer to as the backbone of a broader “T-Dome” concept, is intended to overhaul how Taiwan detects, tracks and intercepts incoming threats. In a televised interview on Sunday,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338061/taiwans-leader-seeks-t-dome-connectivity-network-defend-against-beijing-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3338061/taiwans-leader-seeks-t-dome-connectivity-network-defend-against-beijing-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 13:00:27 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung A proposal to invite Taiwan to next year’s US-led Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) military exercises has been removed from defence policy legislation progressing through Congress, raising concerns in Taipei that Washington’s political calculus may be shifting. Some analysts have warned that the removal of language approved by the US Senate in the 2026 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) could even pave the way for Beijing’s return to the world’s largest naval exercise. For the first time, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336217/why-has-reference-taiwan-attending-rimpac-been-removed-us-defence-bill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3336217/why-has-reference-taiwan-attending-rimpac-been-removed-us-defence-bill?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:40:02 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan’s plan to acquire Israeli “takeover” technology as part of a counter-drone network has set off a debate over its use and the island’s security strategy as it tries to keep pace with rapidly evolving unmanned threats. At a briefing for suppliers on the procurement requirements earlier this month, Taiwan’s homeland security office outlined specifications for a new system to protect the island’s airports, power plants and other critical infrastructure from incursions by small commercial... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334496/taiwans-plan-acquire-drone-takeover-technology-sparks-security-debate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3334496/taiwans-plan-acquire-drone-takeover-technology-sparks-security-debate?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 22:00:23 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan’s military plans to allocate more than NT$1 billion (US$32 million) for drone technology integration as the island scales up its uncrewed platforms and bolsters asymmetric warfare strength amid growing pressure from Beijing. According to a budget document submitted to Taiwan’s legislature, the Armaments Bureau will spend more than NT$1.01 billion from 2026 to 2028 on a “forward-looking multi-integration development project” for uncrewed platforms, with NT$507 million to be executed in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3333755/taiwan-military-budgets-us32-million-drone-tech-amid-beijings-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3333755/taiwan-military-budgets-us32-million-drone-tech-amid-beijings-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 04:00:14 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung The US Senate has approved its defence policy bill for the 2026 financial year, which for the first time “strongly encourages” inviting Taiwan’s navy to take part in the Rim of the Pacific (Rimpac) military exercise. The 2026 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), which passed late on Thursday, also authorises the executive branch to allocate US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, expanding the mechanism’s use to include combat casualty care and medical equipment. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328835/us-senate-pushes-taiwan-attend-rimpac-drill-latest-defence-bill?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328835/us-senate-pushes-taiwan-attend-rimpac-drill-latest-defence-bill?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 11:26:10 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan is moving swiftly to expand its long-range strike abilities with a new class of low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). This comes as military planners seek affordable alternatives to expensive cruise missiles and Washington deepens cooperation with Taipei on drones and emerging technologies. The urgency has grown since Beijing showcased cutting-edge uncrewed systems during its Victory Day parade at Tiananmen Square on Wednesday – platforms that analysts said mirrored or even surpassed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324528/could-taiwans-new-high-low-attack-drone-strategy-counter-mainland-chinas-arsenal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3324528/could-taiwans-new-high-low-attack-drone-strategy-counter-mainland-chinas-arsenal?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Sep 2025 06:00:15 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan is developing a next-generation anti-ship missile in a move that defence analysts have described as potentially a major boost to the island’s ability to deter mainland China’s expanding naval power. In a list issued under the Defence Industry Development Act, Taiwan’s defence ministry announced a new weapon described as a “long-range subsonic anti-ship cruise missile”. The list said the island’s military would spend NT$40 million (US$1.3 million) next year and the year after that to buy... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3321483/taiwan-unveils-carrier-killer-missile-plans-bid-deter-mainland-chinese-forces?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3321483/taiwan-unveils-carrier-killer-missile-plans-bid-deter-mainland-chinese-forces?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Aug 2025 12:48:11 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Beijing’s sudden activation of another civilian air route near the Taiwan Strait’s unofficial median line has renewed alarm in Taipei, with defence experts and lawmakers warning the move could raise the risk of miscalculation in an already tense air corridor. The mainland’s Civil Aviation Administration activated the last of three branches off the M503 north-south flight path through the strait on Sunday. The M503 and its offshoots were established in 2015 to connect various cities along the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3317268/alarms-ring-taipei-beijing-activates-another-taiwan-strait-flight-route?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3317268/alarms-ring-taipei-beijing-activates-another-taiwan-strait-flight-route?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Jul 2025 01:00:18 +0000