Taiwan‘s F-16 warplanes lift off to monitor and accompany Chinese military aircraft flying around Taiwan on Feb. 10, 2020, in the first-ever photo released by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense of a Chinese Communist Party Boom 6K military aircraft taken by the Air Force. (Taiwan Ministry of National Defense file photo).
Taiwan’s National Defense and Security Research Institute (NDRI) released its “2020 Communist Party of China Annual Report”, pointing out that the frequent access of Communist Party aircraft to the southwest corner of Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) last year was the highest and longest level of intimidation by the Communist Party of China against Taiwan since the Taiwan Strait crisis in 1996; the report noted that this move by the Communist Party triggered Taiwan’s internal thinking about the importance of national defense, and also reinforced the justification for U.S. arms sales of offensive weapons to Taiwan.
“The Institute for National Defense and Security Studies, a think tank of Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, recently released the “2020 Communist Party of China Annual Report,” which analyzed the “2020 PLA’s military threat to Taiwan by disturbing Taiwan” chapter, pointing out that in recent years, the Communist Party of China has continued to conduct long-range training in the airspace around Taiwan, with 6 times in 2016 and 20 times in 2017, and 91 days from January 1 to November 30 in 2020.
The annual report analyzes the four main reasons for the frequent entry and exit of communist aircraft in this area include: first, the central line of the Taiwan Strait does not extend to the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, the Chinese Communist Party takes this opportunity to test Taiwan’s response and exert pressure; second, the location is located between Taiwan’s main island and Dongsha Island, causing invisible pressure on the defense of Dongsha Island; third, to collect information related to the area’s submarine terrain and submarine operations to strengthen control of the nearby airspace; fourth, to counter the U.S. military activities in this area.
The analysis points out that, because the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, the geographical location covers the shallow waters of the mainland shed and the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean, is the main route for submarines to enter the western Pacific Ocean, and the deep waters are suitable for submarine ambushes; the frequent access of Chinese anti-submarine aircraft to this area, in addition to detecting submarines in this area, also has the meaning of deterring Taiwan and U.S. submarine activities in the area.
As for the “confrontation of U.S. military activities in the region”. The analysis of the annual report pointed out that, due to the deterioration of U.S.-China relations due to the epidemic, the frequent military activities of the U.S. military last year made the Chinese Communist Party feel pressure, the airspace in the southwest of Taiwan and the Bus Strait is based in the Ryukyu U.S. Air Force Kadena Base military aircraft to carry out tasks in the South China Sea, one of the main routes, the frequent presence of communist aircraft to the airspace in the southwest of Taiwan has become a U.S.-China military tug-of-war.
“The Institute for National Defense and Security Studies concluded that the evaluation of the CCP’s military intimidation of Taiwan in 2020 is, in terms of results, beneficial to Taiwan’s long-term defense system and weapons acquisition. The reason is that the CCP’s military intimidation of Taiwan last year was the highest and longest since the 1996 missile crisis in the Taiwan Strait, but it caused Taiwan to rethink the importance of national defense.
These national defense considerations include a review of the call-up system, reserve mobilization, national defense for all, and even a discussion of the overall defense concept of the national army, which has received national attention through media voices.
Recent Comments