Taiwan’s defense minister Chiu Kuo-cheng says Taiwan will always be ready to defend itself. Chiu was speaking at the legislature on Tuesday and responding to questions about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s recent comments on Taiwan.
During his speech at the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th National Congress Xi said, “We insist on striving for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and best efforts, but we will never promise to give up the use of force and reserve the option to take all necessary measures.”
Chiu says that regardless of any remarks from Beijing, Taiwan will always be ready to defend itself.
Minister Chiu also recently defined what constitutes a first strike. He said if Chinese drones or missiles come into Taiwan’s airspace, Taiwan’s military will take countermeasures. Chiu says there is protocol for these measures, like first setting off warnings and alarms before initiating defensive counterattacks.