Taipei: The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) announced on Thursday that the Taiwanese government intends to adopt a cautious approach in evaluating the consequences on cross-strait security following the Chinese authorities’ investigation into top general Zhang Youxia.
According to Focus Taiwan, the announcement of Zhang’s investigation last Saturday has led scholars to propose two “extreme” interpretations regarding its impact on the potential for Beijing to initiate military actions against Taiwan. MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh, speaking at a regular news briefing in Taipei, noted the divergent views, with some suggesting an increased likelihood of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, while others believe it reduces such a possibility in the short term.
Liang emphasized the Taiwanese government’s commitment to a prudent approach, stressing the importance of being fully prepared, though he did not disclose specific measures being taken. His comments followed an announcement by China’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) that Zhang, a vice chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), along with Liu Zhenli, the chief of staff of the CMC’s Joint Staff Department, are under scrutiny for “suspected serious discipline and law violations.”
MND Spokesperson Jiang Bin described the decision to investigate Zhang and Liu as “a major achievement” in the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) and People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) ongoing anti-corruption campaign. These investigations mark the latest in a series of high-level purges that have drastically altered the senior leadership within the CMC, leaving only Chinese President Xi Jinping and CMC vice chairman Zhang Shengmin among its top ranks, highlighting the ongoing instability within the PLA’s upper echelon.
MAC head Chiu Chui-cheng, during an online program aired on Wednesday, pointed out that despite the recent upheaval in China’s military leadership, the PLA has continued its military maneuvers near Taiwan. This persistent activity indicates that personnel changes have not mitigated the risks across the Taiwan Strait, he stated.