מתיחות גם במזרח: טייוואן מקיימת תרגילים צבאיים רחבים מחשש לפלישה של צבא המשטר הסיני לשטחה

Taiwan is putting its military on display, scrambling fighter jets, firing U.S.-made rockets, and drilling for a possible invasion. It comes as China investigates two of its top generals and ramps up pressure across the region. NTD's Washington correspondent, Jack Bradley, has the details. Taiwan's Air Force launching F-16s during emergency drills ahead of the Lunar New Year. On the ground, tanks, drones, and missile defense systems, the same U.S.-made weapons now central to Taiwan's defense. It sends a clear message to Beijing as China is threatening to take over Taiwan. The enemy threats we face today are clearly more serious than they were 10 years ago. We must accelerate our military buildup and preparedness. Otherwise, we will find it difficult to ensure national security. In Washington, lawmakers have bipartisan agreement backing Taiwan in the event of an invasion from China, a move that Chinese leader Xi Jinping says is on the table. He has said he is willing to take Taiwan by force, and he wants his military to be ready by 2027. We should believe him. The lawmakers warn that China isn't just threatening Taiwan, but U.S. allies across the region. The PLA Navy, their maritime militia, their Coast Guard is really infringing upon Philippine sovereign territory. I mean, really pushing. I mean, it's almost invasion if you look at the number of ships. They say Taiwan remains vulnerable, especially to a blockade. The Taiwanese are remarkably vulnerable to an energy quarantine. That's why lawmakers are pushing to speed up U.S. weapons deliveries. Allowing the sale of the most advanced AI chips to China when China has spent decades trying to develop their own indigenous chip making and chip design capability would be, in my view, strategically reckless. And now China's military leadership is in turmoil. Beijing confirming two of its top commanders are under investigation, including Xi Jinping's second in command. Taiwan's defense minister calls this shakeup abnormal. We will, of course, continue to closely monitor abnormal changes among the top levels of China's party. Analysts warn that China's internal shakeup could actually make things worse. In the medium term, I think this increases the likelihood of the use of force against Taiwan. Just last month, the Trump administration approved an $11 billion arms sale to Taiwan, its largest ever. That's because for U.S. lawmakers, Taiwan's defense isn't a distant issue. It's about American security, American supply chains and preventing another war. Reporting by Jack Bradley, NTD News.