Taiwan has said for the first time it opposes any use of nuclear weapons by the United States against China, a newspaper quoted a military report as saying Sunday.
The defense ministry warned that the use of nuclear weapons in settling the Taipei-Beijing sovereignty dispute would destabilise ties between Taiwan, China and the United States, the United Evening News quoted a defense ministry’s written reply to a parliamentary question as saying.
The US plan, if realised, “would give the Chinese communist hardliners a pretext to adopt a tougher line” in solving any dispute the ministry said.
The defense ministry reiterated Taipei’s efforts to make the Taiwan Strait a non-nuclear area which it said would be in the interests of the entire Asia Pacific region.
The Los Angeles Times said earlir this month it had obtained a classified Pentagon report revealing the military had been asked to draft plans to use nuclear weapons against China, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Russia and Syria.
The Pentagon report detailed three scenarios about when the weapons could be used: against targets able to withstand non-nuclear attacks, in retaliation for an attack with nuclear, biological or chemical weapons and “in the event of surprising military developments.”
It said one of those contingencies was a military confrontation between China and Taiwan.
Beijing responded to the revelation by saying it was “shocked” at the leaked report saying it revealed a “Cold War mentality” was still alive in Washington.
Beijing regards Taiwan as part of its territory to eventually be reclaimed, by force if necessary.
