https://www.scmp.com/rss/522927/feed The latest news and top stories on Lin Ying-yu, an Assistant Professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University. He is also a Research Fellow at the Association of Strategic Foresight. Dr Lin’s expertise encompasses People’s Liberation Army studies, cyber security, information security and Indo-Pacific security. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com 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 military has stepped up training in decentralised command and control, aiming to ensure frontline units can operate independently in the event of a sudden attack from Beijing. The shift comes as defence and intelligence officials warn lawmakers that mainland China has significantly expanded its ability to pivot from military exercises to actual combat. This expansion raised the risk that a crisis in the Taiwan Strait could escalate with little warning and overwhelm traditional top-down... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337064/will-taiwans-decentralised-military-model-raise-more-questions-it-solves?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3337064/will-taiwans-decentralised-military-model-raise-more-questions-it-solves?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Dec 2025 02:00:13 +0000 Alcott Wei Alcott Wei Beijing’s top anti-espionage agency released a list of Taiwanese individuals on Friday that it said were working for Taiwan’s intelligence service to spread pro-independence messages and stir cross-strait tensions online. In a statement on its social media account, the Ministry of State Security also said it had identified a number of suspicious online “troll army” accounts on multiple social networking platforms both within mainland China and beyond, which showed strong connections through... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328543/beijings-top-spy-agency-names-taiwanese-agents-flags-troll-army-stirring-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3328543/beijings-top-spy-agency-names-taiwanese-agents-flags-troll-army-stirring-tensions?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Oct 2025 09:34:55 +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