US Pressures Taiwan to Order Weapons for 'China Invasion Preparedness'... "Must Resist Smartly Like Ukraine"

On the 15th of last month, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (6th from the right) posed with her right thumb raised at the Taipei Presidential Office alongside U.S. diplomatic delegation members, including Senator Lindsey Graham (6th from the left). [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Recent foreign reports have emerged that the United States is pressuring Taiwan to order asymmetric warfare weapons.

On the 7th (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported that the U.S. government is reassessing Taiwan's military capabilities following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This is to verify whether Taiwan's military can resist cleverly like the Ukrainian forces in the event of a Chinese maritime invasion.

According to the report, current and former U.S. officials perceive the risk of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan as a real possibility within a few years.

To prepare for this, voices within the U.S. are calling for Taiwan to equip itself with an asymmetric warfare strategy and small arms focused on mobility and precision strikes.

Asymmetric warfare refers to combat that targets the enemy's weaknesses using different means and methods rather than confronting a relatively stronger opponent in the same way. Previously, Ukraine repelled Russian forces, which relied on tanks, armored vehicles, helicopters, and large infantry units, around the capital Kyiv by utilizing portable air defense, anti-tank missiles, and drones.

The U.S. government, to enhance the effectiveness of asymmetric warfare, is reportedly refusing Taiwan's requests for conventional weapons sales and pressuring for the purchase of other types of weapons, according to the NYT.

In this context, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is also said to be striving to shift her country's defense strategy toward asymmetric warfare. In fact, President Tsai has initiated plans to purchase large quantities of mobile lethal weapons that are difficult for the enemy to target or counterattack. However, some officials in Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense have expressed opposition to changing the strategy to focus on asymmetric warfare.

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