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Taiwan's preparations to face a Chinese attack are not a provocation, senior official says

From The Straits Times · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Taiwan's preparations for a potential Chinese attack are not provocative but necessary responses to real threats, according to a senior security official.
  • Lin Fei-fan stated that China's military actions and expansionist goals are the true provocations, contrasting them with Taiwan's defensive stance.
  • He emphasized the importance of "whole-of-society resilience efforts" and preparedness, drawing parallels to the situation in Ukraine to underscore the urgency.

Taiwan's defensive preparations against a potential Chinese attack are not intended as provocations but are essential measures in the face of genuine threats, a senior Taiwanese security official asserted Tuesday.

People often portray Taiwan's preparations as provocation toward the other side. I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone: all of China's preparations have one clear goal, military aggression and external expansion.

— Lin Fei-fanSpeaking at a forum in Taipei, Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council, who oversees the resilience programme, said China's massive defence spending and its ongoing military pressure in the region were real threats. "People often portray Taiwan's preparations as provocation toward the other side," he said. "I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone: all of China's preparations have one clear goal — military aggression and external expansion."

Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council, who oversees the island's resilience program, stated that China's substantial defense spending and persistent military pressure in the region constitute real dangers. He directly countered the narrative that Taiwan's actions are provocative, asserting that "all of China's preparations have one clear goal, military aggression and external expansion."

A country that advocates 'the two sides of the strait are one family' does not need to test-fire missiles and rockets in the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan today does not fly a single aircraft or send a single warship to intrude into the other side's airspace or waters. The one provoking the regional order is not anyone else, it is China.

— Lin Fei-fanLin said Beijing's actions were the opposite of Taipei's. "A country that advocates 'the two sides of the strait are one family' does not need to test-fire missiles and rockets in the Taiwan Strait," he added. "Taiwan today does not fly a single aircraft or send a single warship to intrude into the other side's airspace or waters. The one provoking the regional order is not anyone else — it is China."

Lin highlighted the contradiction in China's rhetoric, noting that a country claiming "the two sides of the strait are one family" does not need to conduct missile tests in the Taiwan Strait. He pointed out that Taiwan does not intrude into China's airspace or waters, placing the responsibility for regional instability squarely on Beijing. "The one provoking the regional order is not anyone else, it is China," Lin declared.

If we do not act today, strength will not suddenly appear tomorrow. If we do not conduct drills today, when a crisis arrives, we may not even know the most basic standard operating procedure.

— Lin Fei-fanLin said that given the danger posed, government efforts to get people ready for conflict are vital, and said it was wrong to look at what was happening with the war in Ukraine and think it could not happen in Taiwan. "If we do not act today, strength will not suddenly appear tomorrow," he added. "If we do not conduct drills today, when a crisis arrives, we may not even know the most basic standard operating procedure."

Given the perceived threat, Lin stressed the critical importance of government-led efforts to prepare the population for conflict. He cautioned against complacency, referencing the war in Ukraine as a stark reminder that such conflicts can occur. "If we do not act today, strength will not suddenly appear tomorrow," he warned. Lin concluded that Taiwan's ability to defend itself is paramount; without it, the island's existence would be jeopardized, stating, "But if Taiwan now gives up its ability to defend itself, there will no longer be a Taiwan in the world."

But if Taiwan now gives up its ability to defend itself, there will no longer be a Taiwan in the world.

— Lin Fei-fanThere would be immediate peace if China were to give up its military ambitions towards Taiwan, Lin said. "But if Taiwan now gives up its ability to defend itself, there will no longer be a Taiwan in the world."
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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