Taiwan prepares for an evolving China threatーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
Taiwan has kicked off a series of largecale military exercises and air raid drills in response to mounting pressure from China. On Thursday, Taiwan’s military showed off its newly acquired Abrams tanks. Four of the US-built vehicles took part in a live fire drill. Taiwanese President Lie Chinta was on hand and praised the Abrams, calling it the most powerful tank in existence. When our military has greater strength, the nation, society, and people will be safer. The drill coincided with Taiwan’s annual Huan military exercises, which started Wednesday. This year’s run for 10 days, twice as long as last year. The exercises aimed to familiarize troops with other US supplied weaponry including the highmobility artillery rocket system or high mar which Ukraine has been using against Russian forces. The drills are seen as an attempt by lies administration to strengthen Thailand’s defense capabilities through cooperation between the military and private sectors. Civilians are also playing their part. At a supermarket in Taipei, members of the public took part in an air defense drill simulating a missile attack. Store staff guided shoppers to the basement where they practiced CPR techniques. Air raid training is extremely important because it shows us where to evacuate. I think I’m now mentally prepared. Defense officials in Beijing have criticized the military exercises. They issued a statement saying no matter what weapons Taiwan practices with, it won’t be able to resist China’s military. For more on this, we are joined by NHK Taipei Bureau Chief Matsa Tommoi. So Tommoi, as we’ve been reporting, these military exercises have been significantly scaled up from previous years. What are the most notable changes? While this is the first time the exercises have included measures to counter so-called gray zone tactics by Beijing, these have been causing growing concern here. For instance, there’s been a series of incidents in which cargo ships with Chinese crew damaged undersea cables around Taiwan. Experts say Beijing could pivot from such grown tactics to a maritime blockade or an attack on Taiwan. So, the Taiwan government hopes to examine its response capabilities during the drills. Also, record number of reserveists are being mobilized this time. more than 20,000 in total. On Wednesday, they conducted weapons drills. The exercises use Taiwan’s latest weaponry, including the highass rocket system recently purchased from the United States. Taiwan’s defense ministry will also look at how to slow the advance of include invading troops by forcing them into a war of attrition. The 10-day exercises that started on Wednesday are the longest ever held, twice as long as last year. According to the ministry, this is the due this is due to the inclusion inclusion of measures to counter gran tactics. Tommoi, so that the exercises have drawn criticism from Beijing. But of course, the big question is, does Taiwan actually have the capability to defend itself from China? It wouldn’t be easy for Taiwan to confront China’s overwhelming military strength. That’s why the government is looking to boost cooperation between Taiwan’s military and private sector. In par with the military exercises, there are large scale drills happening in three cities including Taipei with many citizens taking part. Air defense drills are also scheduled across Taiwan to prepare for missile attacks and the evacuation of CI civilians. Meanwhile, Taiwanese firms are rapidly developing a area and maritime drones that could be used in asymmetric warfare against the Chinese attack. But Raichu administration also has another goal in mind for these drills. It wants to show the international community that Taiwan is ready for a contingency and to gain their support. All right, that was NHK’s Taipei Bureau Chief Matsuda Tommoi. Thank you, Tommoi. For more on this, we spoke with Igarashi Takayuki, a research fellow of the National Institute for Defense Studies. There is indeed increasing military pressure from China. Taiwan has been conducting military exercises every year, but there’s growing concern that these aren’t enough. So they decided to extend the duration this time. Iashi says the new emphasis on grayzone tactics is a reflection of the situations that are more likely to occur in reality. They are considering a scenario in which China mounts largecale military exercises. At the same time that Chinese Coast Guard vessels are conducting inspections and fishing boats are engaging in significant activity around Taiwan. Defensive measures would begin in response to the possibility that China may attack. This is a major feature of the current exercises. looking at what actually happened when Russia invaded Ukraine. It conducted large-scale military exercises and then there was a sudden attack. They’re considering the possibility that China might do the same thing and suddenly invade Taiwan while engaging in some other activity in the vicinity. That’s why they are placing particular emphasis on the gray zone. Igarashi also says there’s increasing awareness that Taiwan needs to show resilience if it is going to secure US support. Seeing how Russia has invaded Ukraine and the United States hasn’t sent troops in response, there is a growing sense that the US may not come to Taiwan’s defense in the event of an invasion. So the hope is that if they can hold out for as long as possible, the US will eventually come to their aid. I believe the exercises at the moment are applying lessons learned from Ukraine.
Taiwan’s annual military exercises incorporate lessons from the Ukraine conflict, including a new emphasis on ‘gray zone’ tactics by Beijing. #asia #taiwan #china #security #asiapacific #usa #analysis #politics
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