Lin Feifan, deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, attended the Berlin Security Conference and said that in the face of China's rising military and hybrid threats, Taiwan knows its own responsibilities and will never wait for others to come to the rescue. It will fully defend itself; effective deterrence cannot rely on a single country alone. It must combine the collective efforts of the entire society and the international community to prevent crises in the Taiwan Strait.
The 25th Berlin Security Conference was held from the 3rd to the 4th. Ukrainian President Zelensky was invited to deliver a special speech. Other participants included Lithuanian President Nauseda and others. Lin Feifan was invited to give a speech at the "Total Defense" event to share Taiwan's experience with European government, military and industry representatives.
Lin Feifan pointed out that Taiwan faces increasing military and hybrid threats from China. Last year, a total of 5,400 aircraft entered the Taiwan Air Defense Identification Zone, of which 3,000 crossed the central line of the Taiwan Strait. Since the end of 2024, China has launched large-scale maritime exercises in the first island chain, often dispatching more than 100 ships. In addition, approximately 7 to 8 submarine cable break incidents will occur in Taiwan every year starting from 2023, of which about 40% are related to Chinese non-compliant ships. Taiwan suffers about 2.8 million cyber attacks every day, covering critical infrastructure, energy, private enterprises, government websites and the medical sector.
Lin pointed out that Taiwan has three important experiences in promoting the defense resilience of the whole society. The first is the determination of political leaders. On the first day after taking office, President Lai Chengde instructed not to shy away from explaining geopolitical risks to the public to help society prepare.
The second is transparency. Lin Feifan said that the footage of Taiwan's exercises in the past two years has been fully disclosed, including tanks traveling through major urban roads, Patriot missiles deployed around Taipei 101, officers and soldiers using the rapid transit system to practice logistics and mobility, and civilian government agencies and the military conducting side-by-side drills. The more information people have, the stronger their trust will be.
The third is confidence. Lin Feifan emphasized that confidence is the core of resilience. If people lack the confidence to defend themselves, it will be difficult for society to implement the necessary preparations.
He emphasized that Taiwan is aware of its own responsibilities, will never wait for others to come to the rescue, and will make every effort to defend itself. The situation in the Taiwan Strait has a profound impact on global development. As China and Russia intensify military activities in their respective regions, effective deterrence cannot rely on a single country alone. It must combine the collective efforts of the entire society and the international community to prevent crises in the Taiwan Strait.
In addition, Lin Feifan also mentioned that the experience of the Ukrainian war highlighted the two keys of "people's power" and "resilience," both of which can be cultivated through investment and training. Starting this year, Taiwan requires civilian agencies to participate in the annual largest "Urban Resilience Exercise" and adopt the same scenario as the military exercise to strengthen military-civilian coordination, and will further integrate it next year.
