Taiwan says China can “paralyze” its defenses, worsening the threat

TAIPEI, Sept. 1 (Reuters) – China’s armed forces can “paralyze” Taiwan’s defenses and can fully monitor its deployments, the island’s defense ministry said, offering a full assessment of the threat growing representing his neighboring giant.

Beijing intensifies military activities around the island, which it considers Chinese territory. He has never given up the use of force to put democratic Taiwan under his control.

In its annual report to parliament on China’s military, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry presented a much more serious view than last year, when the report he said China did not yet have the capacity to launch a full assault on Taiwan.

This year’s report said China may launch what it called “soft and hard electronic attacks,” including blocking communications in the western part of the first chain of islands, the chain of islands that go from the Japanese archipelago, through Taiwan to the Philippines. .

China “can combine with its Internet army to launch wired and wireless attacks against the global Internet, which would initially paralyze our air defenses, dominance of the sea and the capabilities of the counterattack system, which would pose a huge threat. for us”.

China has also improved its reconnaissance skills through Beidou, China’s response to the US-owned GPS navigation system, the ministry added.

This means Beijing can control movements around Taiwan, aided by China’s regular use of its own spy planes, drones and intelligence-gathering ships, he said.

The Chinese Ministry of Defense did not respond to any requests for comment.

Although the Taiwan report noted, as last year, that China did not yet have transportation capabilities and logistical support for a large-scale invasion, the Chinese military is working to increase those capabilities.

With precision missile attacks that can attack any point on the island, China is also able to “paralyze” Taiwan’s military command centers and the combat capability of its naval and air forces, he said.

Chinese spies in Taiwan could start a “beheading strike” to destroy political and economic infrastructure, he added.

With the deployment of medium- and long-range missiles and more drills involving its aircraft carriers, China is trying to position itself to delay “foreign military intervention” in an attack on Taiwan, the ministry said.

President Tsai Ing-wen has made it a priority to strengthen Taiwan’s own defenses, build the national defense industry and buy more equipment in the United States, the island’s largest arms supplier, and international sponsor.

Report by Yimou Lee; Additional reports from Ben Blanchard. Edited by Gerry Doyle

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