"We have made the adjustment now.” Defense Minister says Taiwan will treat new Chinese airspace incursion as "first strike." -- China Boss update 10.07.22

Update

Photo by Stephen Leonardi on Unsplash

What happened.

“Taiwan warned it would treat any Chinese incursion into the island’s airspace as a ‘first strike,’ as Taipei seeks to deter Beijing from ratcheting up military pressure around the island,” Bloomberg reported.

Bloomberg:

“In the past, we said we won’t be the first to strike, which meant we won’t do it without them firing artillery shells or missiles, et cetera, first,” Chiu [Kuo-Chung] said Wednesday. “But now the definition has obviously changed, as China used means like drones. So we have adjusted, and will view any crossing of aircraft or vessels as a first strike.”

In response to a lawmaker’s question “about recent drone flights over Taiwanese-controlled islands located off the Chinese coast,” Taiwan’s top defense official clearly marked the government’s position. “First strike or not, as long as any China’s aircraft or vessel crosses the line, we will destroy it,” Chiu said. “We have made the adjustment now.”

Why it matters.

China “shattered” median line after Pelosi visit, Taiwan says