EXCLUSIVE TO FOX: Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has reported that China is conducting military training in the western Pacific, aimed at restricting U.S. and allied forces’ access to the region. These exercises underscore Beijing’s commitment to enhancing its anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) strategy, which is designed to prevent enemy forces from entering or freely operating in nearby areas.

In an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital, Lt. Gen. Sun Li-fang, spokesperson for Taiwan’s armed forces—officially the Republic of China (ROC)—emphasized the island’s awareness of the threats posed by China’s growing military strength.

Sun disclosed that Taiwan has developed a series of countermeasures should the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) escalate its provocations into full-scale conflict. These plans include strategies to withstand and counter a potential Chinese naval blockade.

A group of soldiers poses with the Taiwan flag following a preparedness drill simulating defense strategies against potential military incursions by Beijing, held ahead of the Lunar New Year in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, on January 11, 2023. (Daniel Ceng/AP Photo)

Taiwan’s military remains vigilant to the possibility that China’s “training” or exercises could swiftly transition into actual warfare. While some experts caution that breaching a Chinese blockade would be challenging, Sun assured that Taiwan has comprehensive plans to overcome such a blockade. He also mentioned that Taipei would call on its allies and like-minded nations to view any blockade as an act of war, necessitating a unified international response. Sun highlighted that any disruption to shipping lanes near Taiwan would have significant repercussions for the global economy.

Sun said Taiwan expects the PLA to continue its campaign of “hybrid warfare” or “gray-zone operations,” a mix of nonmilitary and paramilitary actions designed to pressure and harass Taiwan without formally declaring war. He warned that the PLA seeks to “exhaust [Taiwan’s] defense capability and blur the battlespace.”

FILE: In this undated file photo released by the Taiwan Ministry of Defense, a Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location.  (Taiwan Ministry of Defense via AP)

An example of this can be seen in the near-daily incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, resulting in Taiwanese air force jets scrambling to intercept them. The tactic, analysts say, is deliberate — part of a broader effort to wear down Taiwan’s air force, degrade equipment and exhaust Taiwan’s personnel.

Beijing has never ruled Taiwan for even a single day, and Taiwan’s military insists it will not allow China to dictate the rules of any future conflict. Instead, the island democracy is prioritizing the development of asymmetric warfare, a strategy in which, as Sun put it, “the weaker party strikes at the weak point of the stronger party with appropriate tactics and weapons in order to gain advantages on the battlefield and change the outcome of the war.”

The spokesperson for the Taiwanese military, Lt. Gen. Sun Li-fang addresses the media.  (Taiwanese Armed Forces)

The general said Taiwan’s top priorities are to build asymmetric capabilities, strengthen operational resilience, expand reserve force capacity and improve defenses against gray-zone harassment. To achieve these goals, he said, Taiwan is expanding production and deployment of unmanned and AI-driven systems while dispersing command-and-control networks to make a knockout punch much more difficult. He also noted that Taiwan’s surveillance and reconnaissance units are “vigilant” and that they “exchange intelligence and perspectives on PLA activities with our allies and partners.”

Sun also rejected the idea that Taiwan lacks the will to defend itself and believes people here would strongly resist any attempt by the PRC to take Taiwan by force. Taiwan’s military wants the world to know it is committed to its own defense, Sun said, pointing to the proposed 2026 defense budget, which will exceed 3% of GDP. Furthermore, he said, the government is actively pursuing reforms to make training “as realistic as possible,” is expanding reserve forces, and has already extended mandatory military service to one year.

Chinese military helicopters fly past Pingtan island, one of mainland China’s closest points to Taiwan, in Fujian province on Aug. 4, 2022, ahead of massive military drills off Taiwan following US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the self-ruled island. – China’s largest-ever military exercises encircling Taiwan kicked off on Aug. 4, in a show of force straddling vital international shipping lanes after a visit to the island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  (Hector Retamal /AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan’s government is stressing that an attack or blockade by Beijing would not just be a local confrontation but a global crisis. Government and military leaders of democratic Taiwan hope their statements and actions will convince China —and the world —that Taiwan will fight back with everything it’s got.