Referring to the grave threat posed by China, Taiwan's defence ministry on Wednesday said that the Chinese military forces can "paralyse" its defences besides thoroughly monitoring its military deployments.
The ministry further added that Beijing is escalating military operations surrounding the island, which it considers Chinese territory. China, on its part, has never publically declared its intentions of capturing Taiwan by force.
According to the copy of the Parliamentary report accessed by Reuters, Taiwan's defence ministry has presented a somber perspective than that of last year. This year's report stated that China has the ability to undertake "soft and hard electronic attacks," such as stopping communications across the western section of the first island chain, which stretches from the Japanese archipelago to Taiwan and the Philippines.
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The ministry also added that with its cyber army, China can launch wired and wireless strikes against the worldwide internet, paralysing our air defences, command of the sea, and counter-attack system capabilities, posing a significant threat to the island . Also, China's reconnaissance capabilities have improved thanks to Beidou, China's response to the US-owned GPS navigation system.
The report also noted that the Chinese military is attempting to improve its transport and logistical capabilities, as it did last year when it was discovered that China lacked the necessary transport and logistical support for a large-scale invasion.
According to the ministry, China is attempting to position itself to avoid "foreign military participation" in an attack on Taiwan by deploying mid- and long-range missiles and increasing exercises involving its aircraft carriers.
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China is also capable of "paralysing" Taiwan military command centres and combat capacity of its naval and air forces, according to the report, with precise missile attacks that can hit anywhere on the island.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has prioritised strengthening Taiwan's own defences, investing in the island's local defence industry and purchasing additional weaponry from the US, the island's most important arms supplier and foreign backer.
