Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has better defined the definition of “first strike” or the use of force against any Chinese military aircraft or watercraft that enters its territorial boundaries as “an act of aggression.”
The MND stated in a press release today that if any aircraft or ships should enter waters or airspace belonging to Taiwan, commanders will be permitted to use force when all other de-escalation tactics fail.
“When a country is subjected to armed attacks from external sources, it has the inherent right to use force for self-defense,” the ministry said at the press conference. After former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, the definition was “updated” as a response to Chinese live-fire exercises that occurred around the island after the visit, according to Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng.
Chiu went on to say the Taiwan Strait is “on the brink” of awareness at a Foreign and National Defense Committee session yesterday, March 7th. The U.S. Senate introduced a bill to require the U.S. Department of the Treasury to slash the U.S.-China Income Tax Convention in the event China attacks Taiwan.
