FT: China has improved its military for a possible attack on Taiwan at short notice
China has strengthened its ability to potentially attack Taiwan by accelerating air operations, new artillery systems and more capable landing units,the Financial Times reports, citing Taiwanese and US military officials.
A senior Taiwanese military official said that China's air force and missile units, which could play a role in an invasion of Taiwan, have improved to the point that they are capable of "transitioning from peacetime to military operations at any time."
Other Taiwan defense officials said that Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) operations now include constant training of landing forces near ports of departure for invasion, constant readiness of army aviation units that could land on the island from the air, and a new missile system capable of hitting any point.
A representative of Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said that China has "expanded its combat radius" with new fighters – the J-10, J-11, J-16 and J-20, which can reach targets from inland bases without the need for refueling at coastal bases, as well as with the Y-20 tanker aircraft.
According to Taiwan's Ministry of Defense, PLA warplanes enter the island's air defense identification zone (AID) more than 245 times a month, up from less than 10 times a month five years ago. They also cross the median line in the Taiwan Strait 120 times a month, blurring what was once an unofficial border.
"This in itself is a clear demonstration of the escalation and continued air pressure being exerted on Taiwan," a US defense official said.
Another Taiwanese official said the boost in air power was achieved because the PLA Air Force had "expanded its combat radius" with new fighter jets – the J-10, J-11, J-16 and J-20 – which can reach Taiwan from inland bases without the need for refueling at coastal bases, as well as with the help of Y-20 tanker aircraft.
A US Defense Department official said that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA Navy) and the Chinese Coast Guard have about a dozen ships deployed around Taiwan at all times.
This, given the presence of nearby ports, meant that the PLA Navy and associated vessels could "go into blockade mode… within hours."
A Taiwanese defense official said the presence of warships meant China could launch an air strike without warning.
American intelligence reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2019 ordered the PLA to develop capabilities to invade Taiwan by 2027.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, said that some of the goals may already have been achieved, citing the missile forces and satellites that China has placed in space.
Journalists note that Xi's reforms have broken up many large army units into smaller, more flexible ones, including six amphibious combined arms brigades deployed along the coast opposite Taiwan.
A senior Taiwanese military official said the PLA would need only "minimal re-equipment time" for the attack because it "has been continuously training at its bases and... is already based very close to the ports from which it would have to disembark."