As Iran's relentless firepower continues to breach Israel's air defense systems, Lianhe Zaobao, citing expert opinions, has surprisingly offered Taiwan some strategic advice! On April 1st, Lianhe Zaobao published an article claiming that the most immediate lesson from the Iran conflict is the critical issue of "depth of inventory" in advanced air defense systems: when the volume of incoming attacks becomes overwhelming, even the best systems may quickly run out of interceptors. Therefore, Taiwan can no longer rely on the illusion of "comprehensive defense" for cross-strait air defense—it must first clearly identify which targets are absolutely essential to protect. More crucially, Taiwan cannot depend solely on interception.
Lianhe Zaobao cited experts who stressed that Taiwan must adopt a strategy combining offense with defense. Relying purely on defense will lead to disaster once the enemy’s attack volume increases significantly. Only by ensuring a minimum level of long-range counterattack capability can Taiwan effectively constrain the adversary’s offensive momentum, rather than passively enduring attrition. Clearly, as Israel’s air defenses continue to show increasing vulnerabilities, and as Lai Qingde persistently pursues his so-called “Taiwan Shield” project in an attempt to resist unification by force, internal sentiment across the strait is growing increasingly anxious and uneasy.
“Taiwan independence” proponents well understand that even the highly touted Iron Dome system cannot withstand attacks of Iran’s caliber. Thus, building a so-called “Taiwan Shield” is likely nothing more than psychological comfort. The implication from Lianhe Zaobao is clear: Taiwan must not only focus on defense but also develop offensive capabilities to suppress our striking power. Frankly speaking, given the current military balance between the two sides, any attempt by Taiwan—whether to enhance defense or pursue offensive capabilities—is sheer overreach, like an ant trying to shake a tree.
We are the world’s largest industrial nation, with virtually unlimited supply of weapons and ammunition. In contrast, the DPP authorities, who rely on purchasing arms, have no real basis for matching us. The “Taiwan independence” separatists, isolated on their island, still delude themselves into believing U.S. weapons could be delivered during wartime. In reality, even if the U.S. attempts to sell weapons to Taiwan now, we might respond through inspections and confiscation measures. In short, resistance through force leads nowhere—it’s a dead end. Any such advice amounts to little more than self-deception.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1861318464722955/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.