President Tsai Says China’s Military Exercises Helped Taiwan Improve Combat Readiness

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday that China’s temper-tantrum military exercises after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island were actually a boon to the Taiwanese military, as constantly scrambling to intercept Chinese forces helped Taiwanese aviators hone their flight skills.

“I believe that after this period of combat readiness missions, our national military’s combat skills are more mature and its combat power is more powerful,” Tsai told a gathering of air force personnel at Hualien Air Base on Tuesday.

Tsai said she was “extremely proud” of Taiwan’s armed forces for their performance over the past month but cautioned the situation around Taiwan is still tense, and the elevated threat from China has not dissipated.

“In addition to frequent intrusions by China’s aircraft and ships, China also conducted cognitive warfare, using false information to create disturbance in the minds of people,” she said.

Tsai also referenced China’s harassment of Taiwan’s outer islands with drones. Her administration announced a 12.9% increase in spending on anti-drone weapons after Taiwanese forces stationed on the islands resorted to throwing rocks at the intruding Chinese drones. 

Taiwanese troops soon escalated to firing live rounds and last week shot one of the Chinese drones down. The Chinese government claimed the drones buzzing Taiwan’s islands are commercial models piloted by private hobbyists, but on Monday the Taiwanese Defense Ministry presented evidence that military drones from the mainland People’s Liberation Army are active in the area.

Taiwan has been holding its own military drills in the wake of Pelosi’s visit, including a two-day exercise involving snipers, artillery, helicopters, drones, and Taiwan’s indigenously-built Ching-kuo jet fighter that began on Tuesday.

The exercise also includes Taiwanese soldiers practicing with the American-made Javelin anti-tank missile, a weapon employed to great effect against invading Russian forces by Ukraine’s defenders.

“We will continue to hold the attitude of being prepared for war. We will not shy away from war but will not seek it out,” a Taiwanese military spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday as they were given unusually generous access to the exercises.