Interoperability crucial for Taiwan evacuation: Ex-Philippine Army official

Taipei, April 15 (CNA) Former Philippine Army vice commander Leodevic B. Guinid, in a recent interview, called for regional interoperability mechanisms for the evacuation of international noncombatants in the event of a Chinese attack against Taiwan.

Speaking to local media on Saturday, Guinid recommended a scenario-based preparedness program wherein stakeholders identify the worst-case scenario for evacuating noncombatants.

This would include evacuating Filipinos from Taiwan and China, as well as Taiwanese, Americans, and residents of other countries living in Taiwan, said Guinid, who was in Taipei for a security forum held by the Formosa Republican Association.

In such a scenario, the Philippines must be prepared to accept thousands of its evacuated citizens in Luzon, given its proximity to Taiwan, Guinid said, but an operation on that scale would require international assistance.

"The Philippines cannot do it alone. I believe it should be a regional interoperability measure," Guinid said.

On what Taiwan could learn from the Philippines' tactics to counter China's illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive (ICAD) activities against Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, Guinid recommended countering illegal activities through legal avenues, responding to coercion with temperance and combating deception with transparency.

"If it's illegal, we do it legally," he said, citing Manila's resorting to the arbitration mechanisms under the United Nations in the face of China's claims to Philippine-controlled islands in the South China Sea.

"They do it coercively. We temper our activities. We do not act aggressively," Guinid said.

"Lastly, they do it deceptively, we do it transparently" by bringing international media to the forefront "to see what's really happening," he said.

Guinid further suggested that Taipei and Manila strengthen both formal and informal information sharing, given their shared interests and common threats.

Meanwhile, he added, the Philippines has been educating citizens about the nature of China's ICAD activities in the South China Sea, its interests in the region, and its desire to become a regional hegemon to challenge the United States.

Asked what he saw as the most important element for Taiwan to counter Chinese aggression, Guinid said it is the resolve of its people, especially amid China's cognitive warfare against the Taiwanese people.

"There will be weapons, of course, but if the people are united to deter aggression, then I believe [Taiwan] will win," he said. "It's not only the problem of Taiwan, but also the Philippines."

China could shape the mindset of Taiwanese and Filipinos with its "aggressive" cognitive warfare whereby it manipulates information in mainstream and social media, Guinid added.

"We have to counter and provide our own citizens with the right result and the right mindset," he said.