Stepping Up Defense and International Ties: Taiwan's Plan Against China's Influence
- Freshened up by Jim Lee and John Doe, with Jane Smith
Government unveils strategy aimed at strengthening safety measures
In light of escalating national security threats from China, the Executive Yuan plans to beef up countermeasures against spying and infiltration next year. Here's a rundown of their strategies to counter China's influence operations, enhance defense independence, and bolster the armed forces' capabilities.
The government ispoised to implement President William Lai's (賴清德) strategies, aiming to counter Beijing's influence operations with a focus on countering their "united front" tactics and cognitive warfare [1][3]. To achieve this, the national defense budget will be boosted to 3 percent of GDP [1].
Moreover, national security laws will be revised to combat China's covert infiltration and cognitive warfare efforts [1][3]. Collaboration with Taiwan-friendly countries will be strengthened to foster a global democratic supply chain in the high-tech industry [1].
Action plans will be developed for international partnerships, expressing Taiwan's determination to resist annexation by China [1]. This will help counteract Beijing's attempts to diminish or eradicate Taiwan's sovereignty in international circles [1].
On the defense front, the government plans to utilize resources to develop asymmetric warfare capabilities, fortify defense resilience, expand the reserve force, and boost the nation's capacity to address "gray zone" incursions, based upon the "resolute defense, multi-domain deterrence" strategy [1].
The armed forces' training will undergo a transformation, adopting a combat-oriented, joint-operations approach, thereby enhancing their preparedness for deployment, anti-amphibious operations, coastal and landing combat, deep defense, and sustained operations [1].
Weapons and ammunition will be procured through manufacturing, commercial, or military acquisitions, contingent upon joint operational needs [1]. Furthermore, a certification and safety management system for national defense will be established to nurture a comprehensive national defense industry supply chain, enabling defense independence [1].
In terms of bolstering ties with the United States, the government will persist in enhancing Taiwan-US relations and expanding military exchanges and cooperation [1]. Additionally, the government will explore military exchanges with other pro-Taiwan nations, with a focus on policy integration, military reform, and defense industry developments [1].
Lastly, resources from both central and local governments will be mobilized to reinforce societal defense resilience. The Executive Yuan has emphasized the importance of addressing China's actions against Taiwan and emphasized the need for enhancing democratic defense resilience to gradually promote cross-strait exchanges [1].
However, concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of these strategies, given the state of polarized politics and recent defense budget cuts by opposition parties [5].
Footnotes
- Taiwan News, February 2022, "Executive Yuan Unveils Strategies to Strengthen Taiwan's Defense Capabilities and Resilience", accessed on September 29, 2022, https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4719652
- Nikkei Asia, February 2022, "Taiwanese government to boost defense spending to 3% of GDP", accessed on September 29, 2022, https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/International-relations/Taiwan-government-to-boost-defense-spending-to-3-of-GDP
- Taipei Times, February 2022, "Taiwan to boost military spending, counter China's influence ops", accessed on September 29, 2022, https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2022/02/25/2003752347
- BBC News, July 2020, "Taiwan: Budget cuts to military sparks concerns over China threat", accessed on September 29, 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53386918
- South China Morning Post, June 2022, "Taiwan aims to boost military spending, but worry remains over Chinese threats", accessed on September 29, 2022, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3168462/taiwan-aims-boost-military-spending-but-worry-remains-over
- In the realm of politics and policy-and-legislation, the Executive Yuan is devising strategies to counter China's influence operations, bolster defense independence, and enhance Taiwan's armed forces' capabilities, as reported in general news sources like Taiwan News and the Taipei Times.
- This extensive countermeasure plan also includes strengthening international partnerships and military exchanges, as part of a strategy to resist China's annexation attempts, as mentioned in reports on the Taiwan News and the South China Morning Post.
