China would gain swift air superiority over Taiwan

WASHINGTON: China would probably gain air superiority very quickly in any attack on Taiwan, something Russia crucially failed to do in its invasion of Ukraine last year, leaked US intelligence documents show, according to media reports Saturday.

The classified documents, allegedly leaked by a US national guardsman in the worst US security breach in a decade, reveal that Taiwan’s military leaders doubt their air defenses can “accurately detect missile launches,” while only about half of their aircraft are capable of effectively engaging the enemy.

China views democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory to be retaken one day, by force if necessary. The island lives under the constant fear of a Chinese invasion, and Beijing has stepped up its rhetoric and military activity around it in recent years.