Taipei, May 5 — Taiwan’s defence authorities say Beijing’s actions targeting the island have moved from intermittent probes to a coordinated, systematic gray‑zone campaign, The Taipei Times reports. A classified report submitted to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee warns China is combining cognitive warfare and united‑front tactics to influence Taiwanese society and weaken the island’s sense of sovereignty. Defence Minister Wellington Koo is scheduled to present the findings and answer questions from lawmakers.
The report documents a notable rise in military pressure around Taiwan. The People’s Liberation Army sharply increased air and naval operations last year, with roughly 3,760 aircraft sorties recorded compared with about 3,060 the year before. Chinese planes have more frequently crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern and eastern air defence identification zones. Naval activity also climbed, with some 2,640 maritime operations observed in Taiwan’s response areas versus around 2,470 previously. Analysts cited in the report warn that normalising such activity increases the danger of miscalculation, where routine drills or patrols could unintentionally escalate into open conflict.
The report also accuses Beijing of reframing legal claims by conducting what it calls ‘law enforcement patrols’ near Taiwan’s outlying islands and along the median line—moves that are viewed by Taipei as an effort to portray the Taiwan Strait as China’s internal waters and to erode Taiwan’s jurisdictional claims.
To counter these pressures, Taipei says its military is strengthening interagency coordination and expanding communication with international partners to combat disinformation and deter coercion. Taiwan plans to integrate joint operational drills with the annual Han Kuang exercises to sharpen combat readiness, improve interservice coordination, and refine crisis response. Civil initiatives including fact‑checking campaigns, media literacy programs, and counterintelligence education are being promoted to build societal resilience.
Officials say greater transparency about military activities and wider public outreach are intended to shore up public confidence in the face of external pressure. The Taipei Times provided the reporting; this item is sourced from a syndicated feed and published as received.
