TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan will fight to the end if China attacks, its foreign minister said on Wednesday, adding that the United States saw the danger of this happening amid rising Chinese military pressure, including aircraft carrier exercises. near the island.
Taiwan, backed by China, has complained about repeated military activities by Beijing in recent months, with Chinese air force raids almost daily in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. On Monday, China said a group of aircraft carriers were operating close to the island.
“From my limited understanding of US decision-makers following developments in this region, they clearly see the danger of China’s ability to launch an attack on Taiwan,” Joseph Wu told reporters in his ministry.
“We are ready to defend ourselves without question and we will fight the war if we need to fight the war. And if we have to defend ourselves until the last day, we will defend ourselves on the very last day. ”
Washington, Taiwan’s largest international support and arms supplier, has pushed Taipei to modernize its military so that it can become a “porcupine” that is hard for China to attack.
Wu said they are determined to improve their military capabilities and spend more on defense.
“Defending Taiwan is our responsibility. We will try our best to improve our defense. ”
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said at a separate event that it will hold eight days of computer-assisted war games this month following a Chinese attack on Taiwan, forming the first phase of Taiwan’s largest annual war games, the Han exercises. Kuang.
A second phase, including fire drills, will take place in July.
“The exercises are designed based on the harshest threats of the enemy, simulating all possible scenarios of an enemy invasion of Taiwan,” Major General Liu Yu-Ping told reporters.
The second phase of the war games in Taiwan would involve the mobilization of about 8,000 reservists to join live fire drills, anti-landing drills and hospitals that have drills to deal with the flow of heavy losses.
Asked whether Washington’s de facto embassy, the American Institute in Taiwan, would send representatives to the exercises, Liu said such a plan had been “discussed,” but “would not be implemented,” citing military sensitivity.
Taiwan has not said where the group of Chinese carriers is currently or whether it will go to the South China Sea dispute, where a group of US carriers is currently operating.
Speaking in parliament, Deputy Defense Minister Chang Che-ping said the Chinese carrier’s movements were closely monitored and described his exercises as routine.
Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee; Additional reporting by Roger Tung; Mount by Simon Cameron-Moore