From drills to war? Taiwan readies instant response as China expands military reach

TAIPEI: Taiwan’s soldiers are being trained to act on instinct as much as instruction, ready to respond instantly if China launches a sudden attack, according to a new report from the island’s defence ministry.

Instead of waiting for orders to trickle down a traditional chain of command, frontline units are expected to make rapid decisions on their own if fighting breaks out. The goal, officials say, is to ensure precious seconds aren’t lost if routine Chinese military drills suddenly turn into something far more dangerous.

That concern is growing. Taiwan’s leaders have repeatedly warned that Beijing could flip from exercises to real combat without warning, hoping to catch Taiwan — and its international supporters — unprepared. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, a claim the democratically run island strongly rejects.

According to the report, Chinese military activity around Taiwan has steadily intensified. Warplanes, ships, and joint patrols now operate near the island almost daily. While these actions stop short of open warfare, Taipei describes them as a form of “grey zone” pressure — meant to wear down Taiwan’s forces by keeping them on constant alert.

Behind the scenes, the military has laid out clear steps for raising combat readiness if drills show signs of becoming an attack. In that moment, the report says, units would immediately shift to what it calls “distributed control,” carrying out their missions without waiting for instructions from above. Officials did not share operational details.

Defence Minister Wellington Koo is expected to defend the findings when he faces lawmakers on Wednesday.

Preparing for the worst

The report also paints a broader picture of China’s military ambitions. Beijing, it says, is not only practising how to strike Taiwan but is also sending its warships farther into the Pacific — reaching waters closer to Australia and New Zealand.

“China has never renounced the use of force to annex Taiwan,” the report warned, noting that Chinese exercises are increasingly realistic and involve multiple branches of the military operating together.

Taiwan’s government insists that the island’s future can only be decided by its 23 million people.

Beijing pushed back, accusing Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te of exaggerating the threat and deliberately stirring fear. China’s defence ministry said Lai was “peddling war anxiety” and warned Taiwanese citizens about what it called the dangers of “preparing for war to seek independence.”

As military activity around Taiwan continues to rise, the message from Taipei is clear: this is not just about watching China’s next move — it’s about being ready, at any moment, to act.