FIRST ON FOX: Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has indicated that China is conducting training exercises in the western Pacific with the intention of restricting access for U.S. and allied military forces. These maneuvers demonstrate Beijing’s ongoing efforts to enhance its anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities, a strategy designed to prevent opposing forces from entering or freely operating in specific nearby regions.
Lieutenant General Sun Li-fang, the military spokesman for — officially designated as the Republic of China (ROC) — conveyed in exclusive remarks to Digital that the armed forces of the self-governed island fully comprehend the threats emanating from China’s escalating military power.
Sun stated that Taiwan has prepared various responses should the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) provocative actions escalate into acts of war, and possesses comprehensive plans to counteract and survive a potential Chinese naval blockade.
Taiwan’s military remains vigilant regarding the possibility that Communist China could transform “training” or an exercise into an actual conflict. While some analysts caution that breaking a Chinese blockade would be challenging, Sun asserted that Taiwan has “holistic plans to breach [any] blockade.” He further mentioned that Taipei would “urge its allies and like-minded partners to consider any blockade an act of war that should prompt a coordinated international response,” pointing out that disruptions to shipping in the waters near Taiwan would severely impact the global economy.
Sun indicated that Taiwan anticipates the PLA will continue its campaign of “hybrid warfare” or “gray-zone operations,” a combination of non-military and paramilitary actions intended to pressure and harass Taiwan without a formal declaration of war. He warned that the PLA seeks to “exhaust [Taiwan’s] defense capability and obscure the battlespace.”
Evidence of this can be observed in the nearly daily incursions by into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, which lead to Taiwanese air force jets scrambling to intercept them. This tactic, according to analysts, is deliberate – forming part of a broader endeavor to wear down Taiwan’s air force, degrade equipment, and fatigue Taiwan’s personnel.
Beijing has never held sovereignty over Taiwan, and Taiwan’s military insists it will not permit China to dictate the terms of any future conflict. Instead, the island democracy is prioritizing the development of asymmetric warfare, a strategy in which, as Sun explained, “the weaker party targets the stronger party’s vulnerabilities with appropriate tactics and weapons to gain advantages on the battlefield and alter the outcome of the war.”
The general outlined Taiwan’s primary objectives: building asymmetric capabilities, reinforcing operational resilience, expanding reserve force capacity, and enhancing defenses against gray-zone harassment. To achieve these goals, he noted, Taiwan is increasing the production and deployment of unmanned and systems while decentralizing command-and-control networks to make a knockout punch significantly more difficult. He also highlighted that Taiwan’s surveillance and reconnaissance units are “vigilant” and that they “exchange intelligence and perspectives on PLA activities with our allies and partners.”
Sun also refuted the notion that Taiwan lacks the will to defend itself, expressing confidence that its people would fiercely resist any attempt by the PRC to seize Taiwan by force. Taiwan’s military, Sun stated, wishes the world to know its commitment to its own defense, referencing the proposed 2026 defense budget, which is set to exceed 3% of GDP. Furthermore, he noted, the government is actively pursuing reforms to make training “as realistic as possible,” expanding reserve forces, and has already extended mandatory military service to one year.
Taiwan’s government is emphasizing that an attack or blockade by Beijing would not merely be a localized confrontation but a global crisis. The government and military leaders of democratic Taiwan hope their statements and actions will persuade – and the international community – that Taiwan will defend itself with every resource available.