Taiwan said its military and civil defence preparations are a response to China's growing military threat and should not be viewed as a provocation.
The comments come as China continues regular military activity around Taiwan.
The island country is expanding defence spending and nationwide resilience measures.
Taiwan Says Defence Preparations Are Response To China Threat, Not Provocation
A senior security official warned that Taiwan must prepare now for the possibility of conflict, saying delaying action would leave the island vulnerable in a crisis.
Summary
Taiwan's preparations for a possible Chinese attack are aimed at strengthening its defences rather than provoking Beijing, a senior Taiwanese security official said on Tuesday, urging the public to take the military threat from China seriously.
Speaking at a security forum in Taipei, Lin Fei-fan, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council, said China's expanding military capabilities and sustained pressure around the island underscored the need for Taiwan to improve its readiness.
"People often portray Taiwan's preparations as provocation toward the other side," Lin said.
"I want to take this opportunity to tell everyone: all of China's preparations have one clear goal — military aggression and external expansion."
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control. Beijing regularly deploys military aircraft and naval vessels near Taiwan, while accusing President Lai Ching-te of promoting separatism. Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims.
Taipei has responded by increasing defence spending and expanding civil defence programmes under Lai's "whole-of-society resilience" initiative, which aims to prepare civilians and government agencies for potential conflict.
Lin contrasted Taiwan's actions with those of China, saying Beijing's military activities were driving regional tensions.
"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.
"Taiwan today does not fly a single aircraft or send a single warship to intrude into the other side's airspace or waters. The one provoking the regional order is not anyone else — it is China."
He said Taiwan could not afford to dismiss the possibility of conflict by assuming that the war in Ukraine could never be repeated in East Asia, stressing that preparations made before a crisis were essential.
"If we do not act today, strength will not suddenly appear tomorrow," Lin said. "If we do not conduct drills today, when a crisis arrives, we may not even know the most basic standard operating procedure."
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Lin added that peace across the Taiwan Strait could be achieved immediately if China abandoned its military ambitions towards the island.
"But if Taiwan now gives up its ability to defend itself, there will no longer be a Taiwan in the world."
China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to the remarks. Beijing has consistently described its military activities around Taiwan as necessary to safeguard China's sovereignty and security.
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