Taiwan Rejects Claim Its China Defense Plans Are Provocation

A Taiwanese flag at a harbor in the northern city of Keelung, Taiwan, on April 1, 2025. I-Hwa Cheng/AFP via Getty ImagesTaiwan’s preparations for a possible Chinese attack are not a provocation, a senior security official said in Taipei on Tuesday, urging the public to take the threat seriously. Speaking at a forum in Taipei, Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council, Lin Fei-fan, said Taiwan must strengthen both military and civilian readiness as China applies growing military pressure around the island.“People often portray Taiwan’s preparations as provocation toward the other side,” Lin said.Rejecting that view, Lin said that the Chinese regime’s own military actions demonstrate aggressive intent. “All of China’s preparations have one clear goal—military aggression and external expansion.”China regards democratically governed Taiwan as its territory and has never ruled out using force to bring the island under Beijing’s control. Chinese military planes and ships operate almost daily around Taiwan, which has long since rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims. Lin also questioned the Chinese regime’s calls for closer friendly cross-strait relations while expanding its military activities.“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.Lin said Taiwan does not send its aircraft or warships into China’s airspace or waters, adding that “the one provoking the regional order is not anyone else—it is China.”The comments are consistent with Lin’s previous statements on Taiwan’s resilience strategy. In an article published by Foreign Affairs in October 2025, he wrote that strengthening civilian preparedness could help deter conflict by raising the costs of aggression. He joined the National Security Council in May 2024 after serving as deputy secretary-general of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Taiwan has expanded its whole-of-society resilience program in recent years, especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The government has increased civil defense training, urban resilience exercises, and coordination between government agencies to help maintain essential services during emergencies.China has intensified military activity around Taiwan over the past several years, with frequent air and naval operations and large-scale exercises near the island. In response, Taiwan has increased defense spending and deepened security ties with democratic partners. The latest remarks reflect Taiwan’s continued efforts to improve preparedness as tensions across the Taiwan Strait remain high.Reuters contributed to this report.