Taiwan Defense Minister: "China May Launch Full-Scale Invasion of Taiwan by 2025"

"Yang'an Relations Worst in 40 Years... Concerns Over Actual Combat"
Special Military Budget of 10 Trillion Won Planned for Next 5 Years

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng appeared before the Taiwan legislature and expressed concerns about the high possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, warning that China could have the capability to launch a full-scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025.

According to local media including Taiwan Liberty Times on the 6th, Minister Chiu attended a hearing at the Taiwan legislature and stated, "The relationship with China is the worst in my over 40 years in the military, and there is a serious situation where actual combat could break out due to risks such as friendly fire between the two militaries." He warned, "China could possess the capability to maintain costs and troop consumption at a minimum and launch a full-scale invasion of Taiwan by 2025."

Earlier, from the 1st to the 4th, the Chinese military dispatched a massive number of 149 military aircraft over Taiwan’s airspace, violating the Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and conducting a large-scale show of force. In response, the Taiwan legislature is currently reviewing a special military budget plan amounting to 240 billion Taiwan dollars (approximately 10 trillion Korean won) for the next five years.

The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense plans to allocate about 64% of the special military budget to ground missile systems and the production of high-performance warships, focusing on countering China’s anti-ship weapons production. Minister Chiu explained, "China currently has the capability to invade Taiwan but will not easily start a war considering other circumstances."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.