Taiwan declared on Tuesday (16) that the island’s armed forces can respond quickly to any sudden Chinese attack, with units capable of operating within a decentralized command mode.
Taiwan, democratically governed and seen by China as its own territory, has repeatedly warned that Beijing could try to suddenly change its policies to catch the island and its international supporters off guard.
China’s military operates around the clock almost daily in what Taipei says is part of a “gray zone” harassment and pressure campaign that falls short of actual combat but is designed to wear down Taiwan’s military by constantly putting them on alert.
In the report, the Defense Ministry warned that the frequency and escalation of China’s activities have increased year by year, including its regular “joint combat readiness patrols.”
The military has a standard operating practice on how to raise its combat alert level if Chinese exercises escalate “from exercise to war,” the ministry added.
“If the enemy launches a sudden attack, all units must implement ‘distributed control’ without waiting for orders and, under a ‘decentralized’ command mode, carry out their combat missions,” the Ministry said, without giving details.
On Monday, China’s Defense Ministry said Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te was “exaggerating” the threat and “selling war anxiety.”
“We hope that the broad mass of Taiwanese compatriots will clearly recognize the extreme danger and harmfulness of the Lai authorities’ frantic ‘war preparation for independence’,” the ministry said in a statement.
