ISTANBUL
The Chinese military on Thursday referred to Taiwan’s air defense system, which is modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome, as the “Taiwan Cage.”
In the face of the People's Liberation Army (PLA), “there is no 'Taiwan Shield,' only ‘Taiwan Cage,’” said Defense Ministry spokesperson Senior Col. Jiang Bin, according to the state-run Global Times.
“The ‘Taiwan independence’ armed forces seeking to resist like a cornered beast are doomed to destruction,” he said.
The military spokesperson was responding to a question about the air defense system, specifically how the PLA assesses such an anti-missile system and whether, from a military perspective, it believes the system can succeed.
“Taiwan independence is a dead end, and China’s reunification cannot be blocked,” Jiang added.
Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te last year announced plans to build an air and missile defense system for Taiwan.
He said that Taiwan would draw inspiration from Israel’s Iron Dome and the US’ Golden Dome to create the T-Dome (Taiwan Shield) and “establish a robust air defense system.”
Taiwan’s legislature is also scheduled to start deliberations on Monday for a proposed $40 billion special defense budget aimed at strengthening air defense systems, advancing artificial intelligence capabilities, expanding domestic drone production and increasing purchases of US weapons.
Separately, Japan's top government spokesman Minoru Kihara said on Thursday that Tokyo is on the same page with the US regarding Taiwan, even though Japan's joint statement with the US after talks between Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Donald Trump made no reference to the island.
Kihara was responding to a question regarding a recent media report claiming that the Japanese government had deleted descriptions of Taiwan from its press release at Takaichi’s request, “aiming to avoid further provoking China,” reported Kyodo News.