TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's Minister of National Defense, Chiu Kuo-cheng, described recent military activity by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) as "highly unusual" on Friday (Sept. 22).
Chiu's remark came a day after the Ministry of National Defense (MND) unveiled for the first time that the military is monitoring the actions of the Chinese ground forces near Dacheng Bay in Fujian Province, China.
Before attending the legislative session, Chiu noted, "Our initial analysis suggests that the PLA is conducting joint military exercises in September," and stressed the MND's ability to gather intelligence on the PLA activities.
Chiu further denied any specific reasons for the MND to disclose its latest military update, saying, "If we were to reveal too much information right away, the public would panic. However, if we only disclosed them after others did so, it could give the impression that we are hiding something."
Emphasizing the MND's adherence to truth-telling principles, the defense minister explained the ministry's initial analysis was that the PLA is conducting joint military exercises in September. "We are staying on top of these exercises, encompassing land, sea, and air forces, as well as amphibious and ground troops," he added.
Countering the claims that the national armed forces lack radar surveillance, Chiu reassured the country's ability to gather intelligence via various methods, emphasizing: "We do interact with others, but we do not rely solely on those sources while possessing our information-gathering capability."