China Expands Coastal Construction As Taiwan Unveils New Defense Plan

TaiwanPlus News

A report published by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, citing reports by the Wall Street Journal, says China is building out infrastructure on its east coast to prepare for a future attack on Taiwan. This comes as Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has just unveiled a new defense plan.

Transcript

00:00China is undergoing extensive construction projects on its east coast,

00:04possibly to prepare for a future conflict with Taiwan.

00:08That's according to a report released by Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council,

00:12the government body that handles relations with China,

00:15citing earlier reporting from the Wall Street Journal.

00:18The report points out five sites in particular, including Air Force and Naval bases,

00:23one of those in Shanghai, where it says China has recently built oil storage tanks

00:28in amphibious bases, and where a number of amphibious ships docked in the spring.

00:33It also references an airport China's building in the Chinese city of Xiamen,

00:37just a few kilometers away from Taiwan's outlying islands of Jinmen,

00:41which it says could be converted for military use if necessary.

00:45Analysts say the build-up is likely intended to help prepare China to take Taiwan,

00:50which it claims is its territory.

00:52From the southern part of the Gulf of the Gulf of the Gulf of the Gulf of the Gulf of the Gulf,

00:55this comes as Taiwan's President Lai Qingde said earlier this week

01:09that Beijing has set a 2027 deadline for making sure its military is capable of attacking Taiwan,

01:16and unveiled a new defense plan to counter it,

01:19involving a record-high proposed defense budget of $40 billion U.S. dollars.

01:25Over the next eight years, he said,

01:27Taiwan aims to build a strong and capable military.

01:30So, as China seems to be rapidly increasing its readiness for an attack,

01:55Taiwan is trying to step up its own efforts to defend itself.

01:59Justin Wu and Keynes Quaranta for Taiwan Plus.

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