On Friday, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) briefed an invited group of media representatives on its arms purchase proposals. This was obviously a MND attempt to seek popular support for the purchases against the backdrop of a continued deadlock between the Legislative Yuan and the Executive Yuan over the special arms purchase budget.
The MND is obviously in a hurry to have the deal sealed. As conceded by the Defense Minister Lee Jye (
Threats posed by China are another reason for the big hurry. Not only have China's annual military budgets grown by multiples, but the real figures are believed to be much higher -- estimates have put them at two to three times higher -- than the officially announced budgets.
While the concerns that the Legislative Yuan, or really the pan-blue opposition, have about the arms purchases are not entirely groundless, they pale in comparison with the nation's security needs.
One concern cited has been the likelihood of corruption and kickback commissions. Of course this skepticism comes from the nation's experience in connection with the purchase of Lafayette submarines from France in the 1990s.
However, this does not mean that Taiwan should stop purchasing arms altogether just to avoid a repeat of that kind of corruption. Instead, open and transparent information on pricing and negotiations can help reduce the likelihood of corruption.
As for the pan-blue lawmakers' request that the submarines proposed for purchase be manufactured here, the MND suggests there are feasibility issues. According to Li, lacking design, quality control and testing capabilities, after the state-owned China Shipbuilding (中船) completes construction of the submarines, it will face the same situation as Aerospace Industrial Development Corp (漢翔) did. After this company finished building fighter jets for the government, its manufacturing lines were shut down because no further orders were forthcoming. Moreover, many foreign governments have been unwilling to issue export permits required for some highly sensitive and sophisticated parts and components. Unless this problem is solved, China Shipbuilding's ability to build the submarines in question remains problematic.
Finally, there is the difficult issue of price. The pan-blue camp had asked that the total price of the arms purchase -- NT$610 billion -- be reduced by NT$200 billion in the event that China Shipbuilding cannot assemble the submarines. On the other hand, the pan-green camp is saying that the deal would be acceptable so long as the price is cut by NT$100 billion.
While efforts to cut prices should be appreciated, two things must be kept in mind -- they must be done for the right reasons (not merely to vex the government) and they must conform to the realistic situation of the market.
It is employment pass renewal season in Singapore, and the new regime is dominating the conversation at after-work cocktails on Fridays. From September, overseas employees on a work visa would need to fulfill the city-state’s new points-based system, and earn a minimum salary threshold to stay in their jobs. While this mirrors what happens in other countries, it risks turning foreign companies away, and could tarnish the nation’s image as a global business hub. The program was announced in 2022 in a bid to promote fair hiring practices. Points are awarded for how a candidate’s salary compares with local peers, along
China last month enacted legislation to punish —including with the death penalty — “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists.” The country’s leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), need to be reminded about what the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has said and done in the past. They should think about whether those historical figures were also die-hard advocates of Taiwanese independence. The Taiwanese Communist Party was established in the Shanghai French Concession in April 1928, with a political charter that included the slogans “Long live the independence of the Taiwanese people” and “Establish a republic of Taiwan.” The CCP sent a representative, Peng
Japan and the Philippines on Monday signed a defense agreement that would facilitate joint drills between them. The pact was made “as both face an increasingly assertive China,” and is in line with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s “effort to forge security alliances to bolster the Philippine military’s limited ability to defend its territorial interests in the South China Sea,” The Associated Press (AP) said. The pact also comes on the heels of comments by former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger, who said at a forum on Tuesday last week that China’s recent aggression toward the Philippines in
The Ministry of National Defense on Tuesday announced that the military would hold its annual Han Kuang exercises from July 22 to 26. Military officers said the exercises would feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure. This year’s exercises underline the recent reforms in Taiwan’s military as it transitions from a top-down command structure to one where autonomy is pushed down to the front lines to improve decisionmaking and adaptability. Militaries around the world have been observing and studying Russia’s war in Ukraine. They have seen that the Ukrainian military has been much quicker to adapt to