The Ministry of National Defense amended the definition of "first strike" under the military's war readiness regulations. Under international law, Taiwan can use the right of self-defense to fight back if its airspace is invaded.
People's Liberation Army aircraft have repeatedly approached Taiwan in recent months. The Ministry of National Defense has responded by amending the definition of "first strike" under the military's war readiness regulations to include the "right to launch a defensive first strike." This means that if the PLA undertakes preparations to attack Taiwan, Taiwan will launch a preemptive strike in self-defense under the three principles of no provocation, no fearing of the enemy, and averting wild shooting.
The Ministry of National Defense consulted the definition of right of self-defense as written in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations and clearly set the standard for every unit as a countermeasure against the threat of enemies. With regards to the aircraft that have entered our air defense identification zones, the military continues to uphold the principles of no provocation and no fearing of the enemy.
If our territorial airspace is invaded, then we can directly invoke the right of self-defense. If the enemy threatens areas outside of our territorial airspace and continues with hostile behavior even after we don't react for a second time, then we can legally invoke the right of self-defense.
Under Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, countries have the right of self-defense if faced with external invasions of their airspace and territorial waters. Experts say clearly differentiating between the Chinese language concepts of "first strike" and "defensive first strike" can help to boost morale. Last week, Han Kuang computer-simulated war games showed that the military may have an insufficient supply of precision ammunition and is not procuring enough from the U.S. if faced with a saturation attack by China. The MND said the strictest parameters were used for the war games.
There is no issue of insufficient ammunition. However, to respond accordingly to new situations and new dangers, we used the strictest parameters for the war games.
Based on publicly available information, there are no fewer than 3,000 anti-tank missiles. We also have Patriot missiles and Sky Bow I, II, and III missiles, which add up to around 800.
Experts say long-range precision missiles such as Patriot missiles are an important tool in asymmetric warfare. Taiwan's arms preparedness will remain a key direction in the future. Meanwhile, the PLA began a three-day, live ammunition drill in the Yellow Sea on Sept. 21, following exercises in the Taiwan Strait. The ministry says it is fully aware of the situation.