Taiwan’s military is prepared for any Chinese attack, defence minister says
- Chang Guan-chung tells legislators that any attempt to attack the island during the current coronavirus outbreak would be ‘condemned worldwide’
- PLA warplanes have approached Taiwan on a number of occasions during the past two months
A senior Taiwanese defence official said on Monday that the island’s military is well prepared in the event of any attack from Beijing during the Covid-19 outbreak.
“At the height of outbreak of the pandemic worldwide, if the Chinese Communists attempted to make any military adventure leading to regional conflict, they would be condemned by the world, and regardless of what would happen, we are all ready and have made the best preparation for this,” said Taiwan’s vice defence minister Chang Guan-chung.
Last month three separate groups of People’s Liberation Army warplanes approached the island while taking part in long-distance training exercises in the western Pacific.
This month another group of planes approached Taiwan in an exercise that analysts said was intended to show off their night navigation and all-weather capabilities.
Taiwan’s air force scrambled fighter jets to shadow, intercept and disperse the PLA warplanes through radio warnings during each approach by the mainland’s planes, according to the ministry.
