In the face of China’s rapid military build-up and Beijing’s pressure on other countries not to sell weaponry to Taiwan, “what can Taiwan do except develop its own defense industry?” asks National Chengchi University professor Arthur Ding, a defense specialist. “It’s the inevitable outcome of China’s interference.” The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has long made…
Taiwan’s Homegrown Submarine Build Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen this week unveiled a new Indigenous Defense Submarine program as part of a commitment to boosting Taiwan’s defense system and improving the island-nation’s military self-reliance. The Ministry of National Defense has contracted the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) and shipbuilder CSBC Corporation for the…
Tsai Makes First Overseas Trip President Tsai’s first diplomatic trip since taking office took place in June with visits to Panama and Paraguay, two important Latin American allies for Taiwan. She began her three days in Panama by attending the opening ceremony of the expanded Panama Canal. After meeting with top officials in the country,…
Kenya Sends Taiwanese Fraudsters to China Kenya’s deportation to China of 45 Taiwanese accused of telephone fraud led to speculation that China was sending a warning message to the incoming administration of Tsai Ing-wen not to rock the boat on cross-Strait affairs. Two groups of Taiwanese nationals seized by Kenyan authorities in two separate cases…
Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), an investigative consultancy aimed at assisting law enforcement agencies to root out cybercrime, employs a dynamic map that displays locations from which cyberattacks are originating, as well as locations that are being victimized. Until roughly seven years ago, the map showed Taiwan as being the victim of large-scale cybercrime. But…
Taiwan’s Submarine Project Resurfaces Taiwan’s two major political parties appear to be in agreement on prioritizing the acquisition of submarines, which many experts see as vital in augmenting Taiwan’s defense in the face of China’s rapid military expansion. China has more than 1,100 ballistic missiles trained on Taiwan, along with large fleets of advanced fighter…
The newly elected DPP government has stated its intention to strengthen Taiwan’s defense industry as a way to both enhance national security and expand the economy. Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology has already demonstrated its capability to develop various types of weaponry, including advanced missile systems, and the Aerospace Industry Development Corp. –…
For the second time, the Ma Ying-jeou administration’s plans for an all-volunteer armed forces have been delayed as the military has once more failed to meet its recruitment needs. Originally planned for 2014, the push for an all-volunteer force was postponed to January 1, 2016. Last month the Ministry of National Defense (MND) reported that…
A video clip shown on Chinese television channel CCTV-4 in July, depicting a practice assault on a building that looks like Taiwan’s Presidential Office, has sparked concern in Taiwan and abroad that China is indirectly threatening the island. The video depicts a number of military maneuvers by the PLA at the Zhurihe military base in…
With constrained budgets and few allies, Taiwan struggles to acquire the weapons it wants and needs for self-defense. Matching – or even coming close to matching – China in defense spending is clearly not an option for Taiwan. But as noted in the paper “Taiwan’s Defense Spending: The Security Consequences of Choosing Butter Over Guns,”…
