U.S. Air Force official: 70% of Taiwanese people would stay and fight if China invaded Taiwan (photo) Taiwan Strait War | China’s attack on Taiwan | United States | National Army | News America – Watch China News Network – Historical secrets of overseas Chinese in the Taiwan Strait |

A Taiwan Navy Kidd-class destroyer launches an SM-2 surface-to-air missile during a sea rescue exercise off Taiwan’s east coast. (Image source: Getty Images)
Getty ImagesGetty Images
It is forbidden to create mirror websites on Chinese websites. Return to the genuine Chinese website.

[Watch China, November 5, 2023](Watch China reporter Li Jiaqi’s comprehensive report) Voice of America reported that a Taiwanese military officer serving as a policy adviser in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force wrote an article to share his recent observations in Taiwan. He assessed that, If Taiwan is invaded by China, about 70% of Taiwanese people will stay and fight to defend their homeland.
It is forbidden to create mirror websites on Chinese websites. Return to the genuine Chinese website.

Jimmy, a U.S. Air Force captain who was born in Taiwan. Jane (transliteration), currently serves as the Director of International Affairs Taiwan-China Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. He recently stayed in Taiwan for two and a half months in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the thoughts of the Taiwanese people.

The Center for Global Taiwan Studies, a think tank in Washington, released the “Global Taiwan Brief” on November 1. Captain Chien published the report titled “Conversations with the Taiwanese about Taiwan’s Defense.” article, with the special caveat that the views and opinions expressed are not intended to represent those of the U.S. Air Force or the U.S. Department of Defense.

He said that although China’s military capabilities continue to increase and pressure on Taiwan continues to increase, most Taiwanese people do not believe that China’s military action against Taiwan is a possible scenario. Many people believe that the CCP has many internal affairs that need to be resolved so that Beijing will not use force against Taiwan.

Based on his judgment from conversations with Taiwanese, if Taiwan is invaded by China, about 70% of the people will stay and resist, 20% will leave Taiwan, and 10% will surrender. He said, “What the Taiwanese want is the ability to try their best, but this must rely on two things: proper training and support from the United States. These factors provide the Taiwanese with the most important element: hope. As long as there is hope, They will keep fighting.”

Just like Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Jimmy. The Taiwanese know that U.S. troops are unlikely to fight alongside them, Jian said, but they want a commitment of U.S. support, especially on the issue of supplies. “They understand the difficulty of keeping an island supplied, even with the proper training,” Jian said. , once the important supplies are exhausted, there will be very little they can do.”

He said that most of the Taiwanese people he talked to were unsure about what kind of support the United States could provide. Most men of military age said they were willing to fight to the end, but only if they had the necessary training and tools to allow them to fight hard. “They repeatedly stressed that they refused to be cannon fodder and did not want to die unnecessarily.”

Jimmy Chien also mentioned that Taiwan’s military’s lack of training and preparation for war is a major problem. In the event of conflict, Taiwan will rely heavily on 2 million reserve troops, including some part-time compulsory service. Although the Taiwanese government has established a national defense mobilization department, extended the compulsory service period from the original four months to one year, and increased the training time for reserve soldiers, these reforms are still too few and too slow.

He suggested several options worth considering. First of all, in order to motivate the Taiwanese people and Taiwan’s leadership, the United States should carry out necessary reforms and add amendments to the Taiwan Relations Act to formalize the United States’ support for Taiwan when it is attacked for no reason. This move will be of great help. Alleviating Taiwanese’s widespread concerns about possible abandonment by the United States and allowing Taiwan to focus on defense reforms, such as strengthening military training.

When it comes to training, Taiwan’s military must focus on authenticity rather than focusing on “scripted drills.” Many Taiwanese people describe Taiwan’s military exercises as “like a rehearsal for a play.” “Many people describe that they are not empowered or cannot adjust to changes in the situation because they often have to wait for approval from superiors.” Jimmy Chien believes that when Taiwan trains its military, it should focus on “dynamic and tactical decision-making at the lowest level.”

Jimmy Chien concluded by saying that Taiwan’s military conscription and reserve systems need to be completely reformed. Because compulsory service is too short, special emphasis must be placed on combat skills training rather than administrative work during service. Once serving in the Reservists, all Reservists must enter a system of ongoing training to ensure maximum coverage and predictability.

In addition, as Taiwan’s reserve commands have been distributed according to regions, Jimmy Chien believes that the training of Taiwan’s reserve forces should also focus on the defense of their respective regions. Just like Ukraine’s homeland defense forces, Taiwan must also cultivate the ability to counterattack. Warriors with in-depth knowledge of the terrain in their area.

He said Taiwan is in an unenviable position and must act quickly to make changes, otherwise it will be too late. Although most people do not wholeheartedly support Taiwan’s military or believe that conflict will occur immediately, Taiwanese people still have considerable will to fight. It depends on whether the country’s leaders support this spirit and provide them with the best preparations.

Jimmy Chien emphasized, “The United States must strengthen its determination and provide more concrete support. Both Taiwan and the United States need a group of Taiwanese who are fully trained and prepared for war. This is the greatest guarantee of stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

In fact, in the past year or so, the Taiwan Strait has been called “the most dangerous place in the world” by foreign media. With the political collision between the United States and China, it has been warned that it will explode in 2025 or 2027.

Bonnie Glaser, an expert from a Washington think tank who recently commented in the New York Times that “No, Xi Jinping will not immediately ‘take over’ Taiwan by force” on the grounds that the CCP is in danger of invading Taiwan at this time, said frankly to “Tianxia Magazine” , all parties have long thrown out possible military timetables, but the trigger for the intensification this year may have come from an internal document by US Air Force General Michael Minihan.

In January this year, Minihan predicted in an internal memo that the United States may conflict with China two years later, in 2025, over Taiwan. Although it was an unofficial document, as soon as the news came out, the emergency situation in the Taiwan Strait was instantly heightened.

A report this year by the China Maritime Research Institute of the U.S. Naval War College also showed that if China launches a war against Taiwan, it is very likely that China will adopt a long-term “joint blockade and control” against Taiwan.

In October, military researcher Ji Yongtian published an article in “Shangbao” stating that the CCP used the approaching fighter planes to harass and shorten the response time of the national army to paralyze Taiwanese society. At the same time, it proposed a cross-strait integrated development demonstration zone in Fujian, claiming to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity. This is in some ways not dissimilar to Hamas tactics.

The article analyzes that the CCP is likely to use the ever-expanding joint combat readiness patrols as a cover for raids on Taiwan in the future. The CCP’s annual exercises have become more and more close to actual combat, and it is very likely that the scope of the gathering will be expanded, allowing the troops participating in the exercises to turn into the first wave of offensives to raid Taiwan.

However, the article also stated that it is not terrible if the CCP attacks Taiwan in a surprise attack, because under the strict supervision of all parties, the number of troops that can secretly prepare to attack Taiwan will be very limited. As long as Taiwan does not mess up its position, it will definitely be able to repel the invading enemy. .

Source: Look at China

Short URL:

All rights reserved. Reprinting in any form requires permission from this site. It is strictly prohibited to create mirror websites.