Taiwan is preparing for war with China amid Beijing’s military provocations: Report

Amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait region, Beijing has time and again made its intent of reunifying Taiwan with mainland China clear. Taking into consideration the growing threat of a Chinese military operation against Taiwan, the self-governed island nation has also started implementing necessary steps to train and defend itself for a “real battle scenario,” according to a Singapore Post report.  

Potentially preempting China’s move in the form of an invasion of the island, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen warned Beijing on Sunday that Taiwan belongs to its people and that the island nation’s existence was a provocation to no one.  

Taiwan shifts defence procurement strategy  

According to the report, Taiwan has shifted its policy of purchasing large military platforms and systems like naval vessels and fighter jets, to smaller and lethal anti-ship and surface-to-air-missiles. The dynamic shift comes following an announcement by China’s President Xi Jinping directing China’s military to focus on war preparations, reported Singapore Post.  

Meanwhile, Tsai Ing-wen stated that she has not given into President Xi’s “one country, two systems” proposal for autonomy to Taiwan under Chinese sovereignty. She further established that her mission in life was to ensure Taiwan continued to belong to its people.  

President Xi orders the Chinese military to prepare for war  

On November 8, President Xi Jinping of China stated that Beijing will strengthen military preparations and train to meet any war-like scenario as China’s “security is increasingly unstable and uncertain.”  

The declaration by President Xi came during a visit to the Joint Operations Command Center of China’s Central Military Commission in Beijing. According to the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, President Xi stated that China will engage in comprehensively strengthening its military training and preparations for any war.  

China has long considered Taiwan part of its territory, despite the self-governed island being a de facto nation-state. Taiwan has its own democratically elected government, military and currency. Beijing has not shied away from issuing threats of the use of military force to bring the island under its fold.  

Taiwan’s military strategy to counter China  

Known as the porcupine strategy, Taiwan may be able to take advantage of one of China’s main weaknesses, transporting soldiers by ship and plane across 110 miles of water in the Taiwan Strait, stated The Singapore Post.   

Moreover, Taiwan is reportedly in the process of purchasing drones from the United States and the effectiveness of the weapon was proven in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. Meanwhile, Taipei is also working on indigenously developing its defence industry in case the Chinese Navy successfully blockades the island.  

The island nation’s ability to use the internet to transmit to the world about an ongoing attack in the case of a war with China will also be essential in garnering global public support. Taiwan’s two-month-old Ministry for Digital Affairs is working on the development of a backup service that does not rely on foreign corporations or governments for functioning, as per reports. 

In case of a war between Taiwan and China, nations like Japan and the United States are most likely to side with the island nation as China’s ambitious goal of expanding its regime poses a threat to Japan’s southernmost islands, making them vulnerable. US President Joe Biden has increased the level of commitment to Taiwan in recent times by saying, on four occasions, that Washington would defend Taiwan with military force.