As the war between Israel and Hamas rages on, Taiwan is on high alert. The island’s defense minister noted one major lesson from the conflict.
“Intelligence work is really important, because only by having intelligence can we respond in advance and prevent a war (with China),” Chiu Kuo-cheng, Taiwan’s defense minister, said.
Hamas, one of the terrorist groups that controls Palestine, launched a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday. The death toll on both sides has blown past one thousand. And it’s sparking discussions about why Israeli intelligence failed to detect the attack beforehand.
Back in Taiwan, Mr. Chiu noted the island has set up a task force to monitor the situation. Taiwan is currently under the shadow of a potential Chinese invasion. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China, despite the island never having been under the Chinese regime’s rule.
Meanwhile, Taiwan is critical for America’s safety. It sits on a chain of islands that prevents China from launching submarine-based nuclear attacks against the U.S. The island also makes over ninety percent of the world’s most advanced microchips. Used in America’s fighter jets, missiles, and other defense systems.
The Chinese regime has been building airfields and stationing fighters and drones on its coastline. That’s just a 100 miles from Taiwan. The island’s annual defense report says Beijing is looking to gain superior air power over Taiwan.
“We’ve been actively monitoring the Chinese military using various forms of intelligence,” Mr. Chiu said.
Taiwan has been boosting its defense capabilities. even though former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the island should take that even further, citing Israel as an example.
“Taiwan’s future is uniquely central to global peace and security, and we all understand that that future is under constant threat,” Mr. Morrison.
Israel’s annual defense budget makes up over 4 percent of its GDP, while Taiwan’s budget next year is over 2 percent of its GDP.