China continues to be a threat to Taiwan due to the continuous expansion of its military power, Taiwan’s defence minister Wellington Koo said today, calling for the island to strengthen its deterrence capabilities.
The US Office of the Director of National Intelligence published a report on Wednesday indicating that China has no plans to invade Taiwan in 2027 and no concrete timeline for achieving “unification” between the island and the mainland. Referring to the document, Koo stressed today that the Chinese Communist Party “has never abandoned the option” of annexing Taiwan by force.
“China’s defence budget will again grow by 7% and, despite economic growth below 5%, that increase is maintained — meaning the threat from its military expansion continues to worsen,” he said, quoted by local newspaper United Daily News. Taiwan must focus on strengthening its defensive capabilities and achieving “effective deterrence,” so that any plan to attack the island is perceived as “highly risky” by Beijing, the minister said.
Read more about this topic: US says China does not plan to invade Taiwan in 2027
If China’s military expansion continues and Taiwan’s defensive capabilities are not reinforced, the probability of an offensive could increase “significantly.” Conversely, if Taipei strengthens its defences, deterrence will increase and the risk of invasion will be reduced, delaying that scenario, Koo added.
The remarks and the report come ahead of a planned meeting in Beijing between US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping, whose date has been postponed at the Republican leader’s request due to the ongoing Middle East conflict.
Among the topics expected to be addressed is precisely the Taiwan question, which China considers the “first red line” in relations between the two powers. Beijing regards Taiwan as an “inalienable part” of its territory and does not rule out the use of force to assume control — a position rejected by the Taiwanese government, which maintains that only the island’s 23 million inhabitants have the right to decide their political future.
