A report by the U.S. Department of Defense released on Thursday says that China now has more than 500 operational nuclear warheads, and will likely have more than 1000 warheads by 2030. According to the report, this new estimate exceeds previous projections.
In response to the report, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) stated in an interview on Friday that Taiwan will work with other countries to improve monitoring and readiness. Chiu says that Taiwan is happy to see cooperation with partner countries in terms of arms sales, but also in other areas such as intelligence sharing and military training.
However, Chiu also adds that Taiwan should not expect other countries to come to its aid in the case of an invasion and that Taiwan must be fully prepared to defend itself. He says that this has been the Defense Ministry’s consistent position.