TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — As tensions in the Taiwan Strait rise, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) on Wednesday (Nov. 2) said that Taiwan's armed forces will "fight to the end" against invading Chinese troops.
During a press briefing at the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday, Chiu was asked by a member of the media if Taiwan's armed forces could hold out without letting the People's Liberation Army (PLA) forces establish a beachhead. Chiu responded by saying that "as long as the enemy is unable to land troops or plant their flags on the upper floors of the buildings of Taiwan's central government ministries, it has not won," reported ETtoday.
Chiu also said that Taiwan "absolutely has a chance of winning" a war with China. The defense minister said that in addition to ensuring control of the air and sea, the military is also working on strengthening its ground defenses and the armed forces will "definitely fight to the end."
He stressed that the use of force by Taiwan's military is a last resort and that it will not fire the first shot. However, if China continues to repeatedly pressure Taiwan, Chiu said that it will have to respond accordingly.