President of Taiwan: Small armies can win wars

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te told air force officers in a speech today (Tuesday) that history offers many examples of small armies that have outnumbered their opponents. This is in statements aimed at encouraging them ahead of the annual military exercises to be held later this month.

According to the Asharq Al-Awsat report, China, which considers Taiwan a part of its territory, has been conducting regular maneuvers around the island for 4 years in order to pressure the island to accept Beijing’s sovereignty, despite Taiwan’s strong opposition.

Taiwan is modernizing its military with new equipment such as submarines and by adopting asymmetric warfare to make its forces more mobile and less vulnerable to targeting, for example, using vehicle-mounted missiles and drones.

Wearing a military uniform and answering questions in front of an indigenous fighter jet at an air base in central Taiwan, Lai said military power is not a simple matter of addition and subtraction, according to Reuters.

He stated in a clip published by his office: The amount of equipment is definitely important. But this does not indicate the military strength of any country. In history, there are many cases of the victory of the few over the many, and there are countless ways to use new thinking to overcome enemies with a traditional approach.

Previously, US President Joe Biden announced that the country’s military will provide $345 million in military aid to Taiwan from its inventory. This military aid includes defense equipment as well as military training.

Translator: Mina Azimi