Taiwan’s military must be prepared to respond immediately to any outbreak of war as the warning time for a potential Chinese attack continues to shrink, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday.
His remarks came as Taiwan conducts a five-day “immediate combat readiness” exercise designed to test the armed forces’ ability to transition rapidly from peacetime operations to wartime conditions.
The drills are based on a scenario in which China abruptly turns one of its routine military exercises around Taiwan into a full-scale attack.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has maintained near-daily military operations around the island. On Tuesday, China’s newest aircraft carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait, further raising tensions.
“The drills put greater emphasis on the ability to respond quickly and rapidly shift into combat readiness,” Koo told reporters in parliament.
“It is intended to build the speed we believe is necessary for converting from peacetime to wartime status,” he added.