The Telegraph: Taiwan is preparing for the Chinese invasion
The Telegraph published a report by its correspondent in Asia, Nicola Smith, entitled: “Mines and speedboats: How Taiwan plans to repel the Chinese invasion”.
Smith says that Taiwan has developed its asymmetric war strategy to confront a possible Chinese invasion in the future, focusing on the use of small and mobile weapons such as mines and speed boats to neutralize Beijing at sea, which is where it is believed to be the most vulnerable.
The Taiwanese Defense Ministry was quoted as warning in a report published on Tuesday that China is now able to close the island’s transportation and communication links and is able to strike anywhere in the region with its missile arsenal, so Taiwan cannot face it head-on in the battle.
Beijing can easily “impose a blockade on our vital ports, airports and foreign flight routes, cutting off our air and sea lines of communication”, according to the biennial Military Strategy Report.
According to the Telegraph reporter, Taipei says it will prioritize strengthening coastal missile defense systems including land and sea mines, mobile surface-to-air missiles and small, fast and flexible ships to make them as “hostile” as possible to PLA forces if they try to cross the Taiwan Strait.
The report stated that “the weakness of the People’s Liberation Army lies in the sea transit phase”.
“The armed forces should make full use of the natural barrier of the Taiwan Strait and fight in a flexible manner”, he added.
An asymmetric strategy seeks to inflict maximum damage on the weakest points of the invading force.
The Telegraph reporter noted that over the past month, Taiwan’s defense minister warned that China would be able to launch a “large-scale” invasion by 2025.
The report also revealed that Taiwan and the United States are deepening their military cooperation.
About 542 Taiwanese defense and national security personnel participated in 175 programs in the United States, and 618 US soldiers participated in 107 programs in Taiwan.
