Former Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has warned of sustained pressure from China, including military patrols and other activities that stop short of open conflict but seek to gradually reshape the security environment around Taiwan.
Tsai made the remarks on Wednesday during her first visit to the United States since leaving office two years ago. She was speaking at a defence forum at Stanford University, as Washington remains Taipei’s most important international backer despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties.
According to a transcript provided by Tsai’s office, she said Taiwan faces a “particularly immediate” security challenge from China, citing daily cyberattacks, information manipulation, economic coercion and efforts to compromise critical infrastructure.
“Chinese military aircraft and vessels also operate around Taiwan on a regular basis, while coast guard and other activities have become increasingly common around our waters,” Tsai said.
She described these activities as “grey zone” operations designed to impose costs on Taiwan, test its responses and gradually alter the security environment without triggering the consequences of an open confrontation.
“We have to respond to sustained pressure in ways that preserve our own confidence and freedom of action, while continuing to strengthen our capacity to defend ourselves should deterrence fail,” she said.
China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its embassy in Washington reiterated this week that Beijing “firmly opposes official interactions of any form between China’s Taiwan region and the US”.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control, although Beijing says it prefers peaceful “reunification”.
Tsai’s successor, President Lai Ching-te, has yet to visit the US under President Donald Trump’s second administration. Both Lai and Tsai reject Beijing’s sovereignty claims, while China has refused to engage with either of them.
Tsai also warned that any serious disruption in the Taiwan Strait would have consequences far beyond the island, given Taiwan’s deep integration into global technology and manufacturing networks.
“Deeper cooperation with Taiwan therefore strengthens not only Taiwan’s own security, but also the stability of the Indo-Pacific and the resilience of the wider democratic community,” she said.
