TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is working with the U.S. on strengthening its asymmetric warfare capabilities by acquiring cruise missiles and naval mines to better deter an invasion by China's military, Taiwan’s Representative to the U.S. Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) announced on Wednesday (Aug. 12).

During a video conference hosted by the Hudson Institute and Center for American Progress on Wednesday, Hsiao was asked to elaborate on Taiwan's plans to develop its asymmetric capabilities to deter communist China from attacking. Hsiao responded by saying that the cornerstone of Taiwan's defense is its asymmetric capabilities, which she defined as "cost-effective but lethal enough to become deterrents, to make any consideration of an invasion very painful."

Hsiao said that Taiwan is currently coordinating with the U.S. on acquiring coastal defense cruise missiles that would be designed to complement Taiwan's domestically built Hsiung Feng (雄風) missile system. She said the country's military is also working on procuring underwater sea mines to better defend against amphibious landings.

The envoy then said that beyond hardware, the country needs to modernize its military, which includes strengthening its reserves. She said the reserves will not only be involved in humanitarian disaster relief but also strengthen their wartime capabilities as a "last resort defense in our homeland."

Hsiao stated that another important part of Taiwan's military restructuring is enhancing its cybersecurity and cyberwarfare capabilities. She said a critical aspect of this is the recruitment, training, and retention of "cybertalent."

Lastly, the representative said that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is placing emphasis on modernizing military management, and she highlighted improvements in recruiting professional talent. She asserted that military careers have started to become "more attractive to talented people in our society."