TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Defense expert Enoch Wu (吳怡農) on Wednesday (July 12) slammed comments by the country’s top intelligence chief that China did not have the capability to attack Taiwan.
National Security Bureau (NSB) Director General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said in an online interview July 5 that Beijing’s actions amounted to a threat, but not an invasion. The former diplomat also alleged the communist regime would launch more “fake news” to intimidate Taiwanese voters ahead of the January 2024 elections.
However, Wu disagreed with him, saying his comments were the most awful example of statements coming from a government department. Wu served as a special forces soldier, founded the Forward Alliance, a group focusing on national security, and ran for legislative elections for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
Tsai should have explained when China would have the ability to attack Taiwan, or when it would believe it had such a capability, Wu told an event about civil defense Wednesday. He added that Taiwan needed to conduct risk assessment and to understand whether China would be able to attack within three or four years, per CNA.
During an interview, the chief of the nation’s top intelligence agency should not only evaluate China’s present capabilities, but also explain what its plans were, Wu said. Beijing spent 30 years reforming its military to prepare for an attack on Taiwan, so Taiwan should also take the time necessary to invest in its own policies and defense reforms, according to the defense expert.
