Taiwan Says Its War Preparations Are a Response to Threat, Not a Provocation

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A Direct Rebuttal in Taipei

Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council, told a forum in Taipei on Tuesday that Taiwan's preparations for a possible Chinese attack should not be mistaken for provocation. He said the island's people need to take the threat seriously and prepare now.

"People often portray Taiwan's preparations as provocation toward the other side," Lin said, according to Reuters. He argued that the logic runs in the opposite direction: it is China's military buildup, not Taiwan's readiness, that is destabilizing the region.

Lin oversees Taiwan's whole-of-society resilience program, an effort championed by President Lai Ching-te to prepare both officials and ordinary citizens for a range of crises, from natural disasters to armed conflict.

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Context: A Longstanding Territorial Claim

China's ruling Communist Party (CCP) considers Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, part of its own territory, despite never having controlled it. Beijing has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control and sends military aircraft and ships into the skies and waters around Taiwan on a near-daily basis.

Taiwan's government, led by President Lai, rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims. In response to the mounting pressure, Taipei has significantly increased military spending and holds regular civil defense exercises.

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What Was Said

Lin argued that China's own rhetoric contradicts its actions. "A country that advocates 'the two sides of the strait are one family' does not need to test-fire missiles and rockets in the Taiwan Strait," he said.

He also pointed out that Taiwan, unlike China, does not send aircraft or ships into the other side's airspace or waters. "The one provoking the regional order is not anyone else — it is China," Lin said.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Lin's remarks. Beijing routinely blames President Lai for cross-strait tensions, labeling him a "separatist," and says its military activity near Taiwan is meant to protect Chinese sovereignty and security.

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Background: Learning From Ukraine

Lin warned against complacency, saying it would be a mistake to assume the war in Ukraine could not be repeated in Taiwan's case. "If we do not act today, strength will not suddenly appear tomorrow," he said. Without regular drills, he added, officials might not know the most basic emergency procedures when a real crisis hits.

Taiwan's resilience drills have grown more elaborate in recent months. According to independent reporting, recent tabletop exercises have simulated scenarios ranging from a Chinese maritime blockade to combined disasters involving earthquakes, cyberattacks, and infrastructure sabotage — exercises that draw explicitly on lessons from the war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.

The broader defense push has also coincided with an expansion of Taiwan's military budget. Under President Lai, Taipei has committed to raising defense spending toward 3 percent of GDP in the coming year, with a longer-term goal of reaching 5 percent by 2030 — part of what officials describe as building "peace through strength" rather than seeking appeasement with Beijing.

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Outlook: Deterrence as the Only Option

Lin closed with a stark framing of the stakes involved. He said peace could come immediately if China abandoned its military ambitions toward Taiwan. But he warned that the reverse would be catastrophic: "If Taiwan now gives up its ability to defend itself, there will no longer be a Taiwan in the world."

With Chinese military pressure continuing and Taiwan's 2026 midterm elections approaching later this year, officials in Taipei are likely to keep expanding resilience programs — betting that visible readiness, backed by international partnerships including with the United States, will do more to preserve peace than restraint alone.

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Sources

1. Reuters – "Taiwan's preparations to face Chinese attack are not a provocation, senior official says": https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/taiwans-preparations-face-chinese-attack-are-not-provocation-senior-official-2026-07-07/
2. American Enterprise Institute (AEI) – "China & Taiwan Update, July 2, 2026": https://www.aei.org/articles/china-taiwan-update-july-2-2026/
3. Wikipedia – "Lin Fei-fan" (background on official's role and history): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lin_Fei-fan
4. Office of the President, Republic of China (Taiwan) – Press conference on national security action plans: https://english.president.gov.tw/News/7048

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