China honing abilities for a possible future attack, Taiwan defence report warns

Taiwan Defense Report Highlights China's Military Threats and Tactics

TAIPEI (Reuters) -China is increasing the frequency of its military activities around Taiwan and developing new equipment to hone its ability to stage a surprise attack, the island's defence ministry said on Thursday.

Democratically-governed Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has faced increased military pressure from Beijing over the past five years, including at least six rounds of major war games around the island since 2022.

China has been using artificial intelligence tools to weaken Taiwan's cybersecurity and to scan for weak points in critical infrastructure, the defence ministry said in a report released every two years.

Beijing is also using "hybrid warfare" to weaken people's trust in the government and support for defence spending, and stepping up "grey zone" harassment, it added, referring to non-combat operations such as coast guard patrols designed to pressure Taiwan.

"Through both conventional and unconventional military actions, it aims to test its capabilities for attacking Taiwan and confronting foreign forces," the ministry said.

China could try to suddenly shift drills into active combat mode to catch Taiwan and its international supporters off guard, posing a significant threat to regional peace and security, it added.

In recent years, China has been extensively using civilian roll-on/roll-off merchant vessels for military transport operations and continues to develop specialised equipment for beach landing operations, the ministry said.

China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

China considers Taiwan President Lai Ching-te a "separatist". Lai rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.

(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; Editing by Himani Sarkar)