Taiwan Defense Ministry Says Troops Can Decide How to Counter Chinese Military’s ‘First Strike’

Maj. Gen. Lin Wen-huang of the Deputy Chief of General Staff Operations and Planning Office, Taiwan Ministry of National Defense, speaks at a press conference in Taiwan on Oct. 13, 2022. Courtesy of Taiwan Ministry of National Defense

Troops stationed on Taiwan’s front line are authorized to counter aggressive moves by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) that are deemed a “first strike,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said on Oct. 13.

The PLA’s moves that are considered a first strike include planes, drones, or ships entering Taiwan’s territorial airspace and restricted maritime zones after the Taiwanese military has identified, intercepted, and played broadcasts to warn them away, according to Maj. Gen. Lin Wen-huang of the MND’s Deputy Chief of General Staff Operations and Planning Office.

Taiwan’s territorial airspace includes the country’s outer islands as defined under the “Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area,” Lin said at a press conference of the MND on Wednesday.

The Chinese communist regime claims Taiwan, which it has never ruled, as part of its territory.

Lin said that Taiwan’s troops could exercise the right of self-defense to counter an attack, Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported on Wednesday.

Taiwanese navy launches a U.S.-made Standard missile from a frigate during the annual Han Kuang Drill on the sea near the Suao navy harbor in Yilan county, Taiwan, on July 26, 2022. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images

Lin explained there is no normative definition of the term “first strike” in existing international conventions and customary international law. He said that the concept of first strike derives mainly from the right of self-defense in international law.

Therefore, Taiwan’s national army is authorized to exercise the right of self-defense in accordance with the regulations, keep a close watch on the enemy’s subsequent attempts, and continue to deal with any threat from the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) military in accordance with the provisions of emergency handling, according to Lin.

Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said two days earlier that, in the past, missile or artillery attacks by the CCP military were deemed a first strike, but now the intrusion of Chinese drones is to be defined as a first strike as well, as the CCP has constantly been using unmanned aerial vehicles or drones to intrude on Taiwan, the CNA reported.

Taiwan shot down an unidentified civilian drone entering Taiwan’s airspace near the Lion Islet on Sept. 1, according to Reuters. Taiwan Premier Su Tseng-chang said that the CCP uses videos shot by drones as “propaganda at home.”

The Taiwan Army Kinmen Defense Command drove away four drones with live ammunition for two consecutive days from Aug. 30 to 31, French media company RFI reported.

According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, a total of 24 CCP aircraft sorties and five CCP vessel sorties were detected as of 17:00 (local time) on Oct. 14, and the CCP continued to carry out military maneuvers over the maritime area and airspace of the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s military has adopted mission aircraft, vessels, and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor and respond to such military actions of the CCP.

Zhong Yuan contributed to this report.