At a briefing on Thursday, National Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told journalists that the sudden escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas has pushed Taiwan to enhance its ability to forecast possible threats.
- Chiu added that Taiwan’s military has been monitoring the situation around the island and paying attention to any signs of Chinese military advances.
China claims democratically ruled Taiwan is a part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to achieve its goal of unification with the island.
- U.S. military and intelligence officials assess that China’s military has been ordered to be ready to take Taiwan by force, perhaps as early as 2025.