Legislator Chen Guanting of the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Republic of China (Taiwan) recently gave an interview to a foreign media outlet regarding comparisons between the situation in the Taiwan Strait and the “Venezuelan-style” actions by outside parties. Speculations have been circulating about the possibility of a “decapitation strike” targeting Taiwan. However, Chen pointed out that a “decapitation strike” by the Chinese Communist Party against Taiwan is currently not feasible, and Taiwan is focusing on pragmatic preparations to enhance deterrence.
In a recent interview with Reuters, Chen assessed the military feasibility and strategic consequences of such “precision strikes and rapid withdrawals.” At this stage, these scenarios appear to be more of strategic conjecture rather than realistic military plans. Taiwan does not engage in rumors but remains vigilant by continuously strengthening deterrence and resilience in a pragmatic manner.
Chen emphasized that any attempt by the Chinese Communist Party to target Taiwan’s core decision-making layer through limited actions would be challenging to confine to a “small-scale event.” Once the threshold is crossed, it could quickly escalate into larger-scale military confrontations, triggering a chain of regional and international reactions, posing a high-risk, low-controllable gamble for the CCP.
Furthermore, he mentioned that Taiwan has long faced threats and has invested in constructing a multi-layered air defense, early warning, and overall defense framework. Given the intensive surveillance and early warnings, penetrating, seizing control, and evacuating across the strait is highly challenging. Reports also indicate that Taiwan continues to advance its concept of layered air defense and related infrastructural development, significantly reducing the element of surprise.
Moreover, these high-risk special operations require multi-domain coordination, integrated command chains, electromagnetic and electronic warfare support, and the ability to adapt under pressure, which cannot be achieved through imagination alone. Despite the ongoing modernization efforts by the Chinese military, they still face critical limitations such as lack of combat experience and joint operational coordination, significantly reducing the success rate of such complex missions.
Chen reiterated Taiwan’s consistent pragmatic approach: no exaggeration, no underestimation. In the face of any potential reckless situation, the government and society must continuously strengthen overall defense and crisis management capabilities.
He mentioned that in the Taiwanese parliament, there will be ongoing efforts to promote necessary oversight and resource allocation, focusing on enhancing early warning, air defense, counter-infiltration, and critical infrastructure resilience. Taiwan will deepen security cooperation with like-minded partners to ensure that any provocations against Taiwan will entail higher costs and lower chances of success.