TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Hung-hui (柏鴻輝) outlined Taiwan’s air defense challenges during a Thursday conference at Estonia’s International Centre for Defence and Security.

In his talk titled “Taiwan’s airspace under constant threat defending freedom in the skies,” Po said Taiwan and Estonia face similar threats, making closer bilateral exchanges and cooperation essential, per CNA. He compared China’s incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone with Russian military aircraft violating the airspace of Estonia and several NATO member states.

The deputy minister said Beijing and Moscow have strengthened their economic, military, and technological cooperation while also learning from each other’s combat strategies and gray-zone tactics. Po noted that China’s increasing airspace incursions near Taiwan and Russia’s recent violations of NATO members’ airspace illustrate “the same pattern executed in different locations.”

Po urged like-minded nations to continue strengthening cooperation and exchanges to build a more resilient and forward-looking network of global partnerships capable of countering authoritarian expansion.

He added that China showcased several new weapon systems during its military parade in September, including those capable of strategic nuclear strikes. This demonstrates that China’s global strike range has become fully established, encompassing both the Indo-Pacific and European regions, he said.