Taiwan must be ready for China attack under guise of exercise: Defense minister

Taipei, Sept. 19 (CNA) Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) has cautioned against the possibility of China launching an attack on Taiwan under the guise of military exercises, noting that Beijing has increasingly diversified its military maneuvers, making it more difficult to predict China's assaults.

China has been employing a combination of "conventional" military practices such as joint air and sea training exercises and drills, with "unconventional" means such as "gray zone" incursions into air and waters around Taiwan, Koo said at a press event on Wednesday.

This has become the norm and will persist regardless of the results of the United States presidential election in November, he said.

In addition, these military actions have increased in scale, making it more difficult to predict when military exercises could suddenly turn into an attack on Taiwan, Koo noted.

Therefore, Taiwan's armed forces must be prepared and engage in drills designed specifically for this scenario and make sure they have sufficient defense capabilities available at all times by ensuring they do not overreact to enemy movements around the country, he said.

Koo added that Taiwan's military might have to shorten its response time to China threats in preparation for the likelihood of People's Liberation Army (PLA) maneuvers "worsening situations."

In response to a media query about whether there could be a "Joint Sword 2024B" exercise targeting Taiwan, following the large-scale "Joint Sword 2024A" exercise, which the PLA staged around Taiwan just days after President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) gave his inauguration speech on May 20, Koo said there is a "pattern" in PLA drills and exercises and that it is up to China to decide whether to use that name to denote an upcoming exercise.

Taiwan's armed forces will closely monitor the situation to look for indications of such an exercise, he said.

Meanwhile, asked whether an incident in June involving a Chinese man who piloted a speedboat into Taiwan's territorial waters and up on the Tamsui River could be "stress-testing" Taiwan's military, Koo said the possibility that China had simultaneously employed "cognitive warfare and gray zone tactics" against Taiwan cannot be ruled out.

Following the June incident, another Chinese national was caught in Taiwanese waters after rowing an inflatable boat from Ningbo, China last week.

Speedboats, with their compact radar cross-sections, cannot be picked up by the radars of Taiwan's military, and the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) will procure thermal imaging systems to strengthen border and maritime security in the wake of these incidents, Koo said.

Taiwan's military will address any issues revealed by the incidents and work with the CGA under existing protocols for mutual assistance, to better respond to similar contingencies, he added.