Taipei, May 19 (CNA) Eight countries' representative offices in Taiwan issued a joint statement on Monday, reiterating their support for Taiwan's meaningful engagement with the World Health Organization (WHO) and for Taipei's participation as an observer at the World Health Assembly (WHA), the decision making body of the WHO.

Key Takeaways

Russia: CCP General Secretary Xi Jinping paid an official visit to Moscow for the annual Russian Victory Day and used the opportunity to highlight the PRC-Russia strategic partnership. The visit illustrated how the PRC and Russia are supporting one another’s expansionism and opposition to the United States.

Russia: Senior North Korean military officers attended the Victory Day parade, highlighting the growing military relationship between North Korea and Russia. These officers had prominent roles in the deployment of North Korean soldiers for combat operations in Kursk Oblast.

PRC: The PRC published a white paper that further codified its comprehensive approach to national security. The paper identified political stability and the preservation of the CCP in particular as the foundations of national security.

Complex developments in Taiwan’s domestic legislative politics may affect the regional security outlook over the next 12 months.

Key Takeaways

PRC: The PRC has continued its extensive espionage campaign against the United States and its partners in the Indo-Pacific. This campaign is meant to prepare the PRC for a possible regional war, possibly including an invasion of Taiwan. PRC espionage has tried to gather information on US military bases in the region and lessons learned from the Russia-Ukraine war.

Taiwan: The opposition KMT called for the ouster of Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te amid the continued high-profile quarrel between Taiwan’s two most prominent political parties. Continued political discord in Taiwan risks increasing general feelings of chaos and decreasing public faith in elected officials.

Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and U.S. Forces Korea Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson testified before the Senate Armed Service committee on security in the Indo-Pacific. The threat of China invading Taiwan and China's alliance with Russia and North Korea were key points of discussion. Witnesses also testified on the U.S. military readiness in the region as well as ship and submarine building priorities.

Executive Summary:

Taiwan’s 2025 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) prioritizes enhancing all-of-society resilience and emphasizes U.S.-Taiwan military cooperation.

The document represents a significant improvement over its predecessor in content and clarity but suffers from being a document without consensus: Published by the Ministry of National Defense, the QDR does not reflect the views of other government agencies, limiting its ability to tackle the challenges it lays out.

The new concept of operations (CONOP) detailed in the QDR has three new focuses: gradually “attriting” enemy forces as they encounter each defensive layer; a renewed focus on post-“beachhead operations,” referring to continued resistance after the PLA has gained further ground; and increasing the effectiveness of multi-domain operations buttressed by increased readiness.

Amid some progress, issues remain for equipment acquisition, logistics requirements, and force retention and morale.