TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) clarified its definition of “first strike,” saying it considered any Chinese military asset crossing into Taiwan’s territorial borders as an act of aggression.
The MND said in a press release Friday (March 8) that if enemy aircraft or vessels intruded into Taiwan’s airspace or waters, then commanders are authorized to take appropriate measures to maintain national defense security when all other non-peaceful means fail. When a country is subjected to armed attacks from external sources, it has the inherent right to use force for self-defense, the ministry said.
Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said that this definition was updated shortly after former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan — when China held live-fire military drills around the nation to express its dissatisfaction.
The Taiwan Strait is "on the brink" of a heightened level of alert, Chiu said at a Foreign and National Defense Committee session on Thursday (March 7). The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has ramped up the frequency of its air and naval operations. He said PLA activities are now creeping closer to Taiwan and have slowly entered "gray areas" from the north and south.
To deter China from escalating tensions in the strait, U.S. senators introduced a bill on Tuesday (March 5) requiring the U.S. Department of the Treasury to terminate the United States-People's Republic of China Income Tax Convention if Beijing attacks Taiwan.