Firm To China, Taiwan Defense Minister: We Will Not Start War, But Are Ready To Face The Enemy

Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng accompanies Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen to visit a military camp in Jinlioujie District, Yilan. (Wikimedia Commons/總統府)

JAKARTA - Taiwan will not start a war with China but will defend itself 'in full', Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thursday, amid a spike in tensions in the Taiwan Strait that has raised international concern.

Taiwan, a major semiconductor producer, has repeatedly said it would defend itself if attacked, but would not "advance rashly" and wanted to maintain the status quo with China.

"The most obvious thing is, the Republic of China (Taiwan) will absolutely not start or trigger a war. But if there is a movement, we will face the enemy completely", Chiu told a parliamentary committee meeting, using the official name Taiwan.

Military tensions with China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, are the worst in more than 40 years, Chiu said last week, adding China would be capable of a "full-scale" invasion by 2025.

His comments came after China's air force carried out four consecutive days of mass attacks on Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) since October 1, part of a pattern Taipei sees as increased military harassment by Beijing.

No shots were fired and the Chinese aircraft were well away from Taiwanese airspace, concentrating their activities in the southwest corner of Taiwan's air defense identification zone.

The ministry, in a report to parliament ahead of Chiu's appearance before lawmakers, warned China of firm countermeasures if Beijing's troops got too close to the island.

Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu agreed with an assessment by a lawmaker that China's capabilities are limited by its limited air refueling capacity, meaning it only has H-6 bombers and Y-8 anti-submarine and reconnaissance aircraft flying into the Bashi Strait. separates Taiwan from the Philippines.

Nonetheless, Chinese soldiers continue to be closer to China's shores, according to a map of their activities produced by the Chiu ministry.

"Their goal is, on the one hand, to put pressure on Taiwan, and on the other hand to tell everyone that we have the ability to scare and deter foreign military forces from getting involved", he said.

Separately, China on Wednesday called its military activities a "fair" move to protect peace and stability and again blamed Taiwan's "collusion" with foreign forces, a veiled reference to the United States, for sowing tension.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Embassy in Washington yesterday complained to the United States Government about a meeting between Taiwan's de facto ambassador to the country and senior US diplomats regarding the visit of Taiwan Army Commander, Hsu Yen-pu, to the United States.

"The US should not fantasize (about) seeking support and cooperation with China, while recklessly challenging China's red line on the Taiwan question", he criticized.