China plans to spend 350.92 billion yuan (US$44.94 billion) on national defense this year, a 17.8 percent increase over last year. The rapid growth of China's military expenditure not only heightens tensions in the Taiwan Strait and unsettles its neighbors, but worries the world community as a whole.
News of double-digit growth in China's military spending is nothing new; after all, Beijing's military budget has been increasing more than 10 percent annually since 1993. But the curious thing is that China has no hostile neighbors and does not face any immediate threat, nor do there appear to be any potential ones. So what is Beijing's motivation for spending so much on military hardware when it faces a host of more pressing problems, such as declining health standards, inadequate education and social infrastructure. What is it pointing its guns at?
This is the real cause for concern.
China's military expansion is clearly not of a defensive nature, and Taiwan is planted firmly in its crosshairs. China already has more than 900 missiles aimed at Taiwan along its eastern seaboard and has established a legal pretext for using them -- along with other types of military force -- by passing the "Anti-Secession" Law in 2005.
Japan should also be worried. Concomitant with next year's Beijing Olympics, Chinese nationalism is reaching a fever pitch and Japan is China's first target in its quest for supremacy in the Asia-Pacific region. This, compounded by competition for oil reserves and influence in Southeast Asia, as well as continuing friction over Japan's role in World War II, has allowed the Chinese Communist Party to portray Japan as a national enemy. China can't be top dog until it has forced Japan into submission.
The US must object -- and intervene -- if Beijing ever decided to violate regional security by using military force against Taiwan or Japan. China has been striving to develop its own submarines in order to prevent the US from sending aircraft carriers into the Taiwan Strait, as it did after China launched missiles into the strait in 1996. In addition, Beijing's anti-satellite missile test in January demonstrated that it is also preparing for war in space. Since the US is the only state with appreciable military capabilities in space, one need not be a political scientist to figure out who China is gearing up to fight.
Such zealous development of "defensive" weaponry is certainly in conflict with China's "peaceful rise." This buildup is a threat to international peace, yet in its zeal to maintain business ties, the international community chooses to either turn a blind eye or to appease Beijing.
States all over the world should clearly express their opposition to China's military expansion. The EU, for its part, should continue to resist pressure to lift its military embargo against China. Meanwhile, Japan, the US and India will hold joint military exercises in the Pacific early next month. This is the first effort of its kind and a clear warning from the three countries of their intention to rein in China.
Taiwan's politicians are well aware of the threat China poses. They know that this nation's missile defense system and anti-submarine capabilities are inadequate against a Chinese attack, and yet some still choose to block arms purchases and hinder efforts to upgrade the military.
As China beefs up its offensive weaponry, the pan-blue camp's inability to acknowledge China as a threat only adds fuel to the fire. If Taiwan allows itself to be led down such a foolish path, the danger to our national security will be felt for years to come.
US President Donald Trump has gotten off to a head-spinning start in his foreign policy. He has pressured Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, threatened to take over the Panama Canal, urged Canada to become the 51st US state, unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America” and announced plans for the United States to annex and administer Gaza. He has imposed and then suspended 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their roles in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, while at the same time increasing tariffs on China by 10
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
Trying to force a partnership between Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Intel Corp would be a wildly complex ordeal. Already, the reported request from the Trump administration for TSMC to take a controlling stake in Intel’s US factories is facing valid questions about feasibility from all sides. Washington would likely not support a foreign company operating Intel’s domestic factories, Reuters reported — just look at how that is going over in the steel sector. Meanwhile, many in Taiwan are concerned about the company being forced to transfer its bleeding-edge tech capabilities and give up its strategic advantage. This is especially
Last week, 24 Republican representatives in the US Congress proposed a resolution calling for US President Donald Trump’s administration to abandon the US’ “one China” policy, calling it outdated, counterproductive and not reflective of reality, and to restore official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, enter bilateral free-trade agreement negotiations and support its entry into international organizations. That is an exciting and inspiring development. To help the US government and other nations further understand that Taiwan is not a part of China, that those “one China” policies are contrary to the fact that the two countries across the Taiwan Strait are independent and
RSS