Voice of America
Date: May 20, 2020
By: Ralph Jennings
In this photo released by the Taiwan Presidential Office, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, center, walks ahead of Vice-President Lai Ching-te, left of her, as they attend an inauguration ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Tsai was inaugurated for a second term amid increasing pressure from China on the self-governing island democracy it claims as its own territory. (Taiwan Presidential Office via AP)
“While we work to bolster our defense capabilities, future combat capacity development will also emphasize mobility, countermeasures, and non-traditional, asymmetrical capabilities,” Tsai said in a speech to mark the start of her second term in office. She was reelected in January.
China maintains the world’s third strongest military and Taiwan ranks 26th by the database GlobalFirePower.com. Asymmetric warfare means use of strategy or unconventional arms, such as submarines, against an overall stronger enemy.
The People’s Liberation Army from Beijing is getting ready for amphibious military exercises in the South China Sea possibly to simulate the takeover of three tiny islets that Taiwan controls as part of a marine national park, analysts and media reports in Asia say. The islands sit in a strategic spot between northeast and southeast Asia. Taiwan’s coast guard has a garrison on one. [FULL STORY]
