A Ministry of National Defense (MND) official said yesterday that young Taiwanese don't want to go to war with China and that many think Taiwan would be defeated in any conflict. Because of that, Taiwan should quickly strengthen its defenses and increase citizens' confidence.
"To get rid of defeatism, Taiwan should swiftly procure advanced weapons and display its ability to counter a military invasion by China," said MND vice minister Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) at a seminar on national security held yesterday by National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations (IIR).
"The legislators should free themselves from partisan politics, and swiftly approve the three-item arms budget," he added.
Tsai was referring to the budget to purchase advanced Patriot missile batteries, diesel submarines and sub-hunting aircraft from the US, which has been blocked by the pan-blue opposition in the legislature.
Tsai said that according to a recent poll conducted by Chinese Culture University, more than 65 percent of male university students said they don't want to go to war with China.
Among those, 30.5 percent said they don't think Taiwan can survive a Chinese military invasion and 25.6 think they would be "victims" of a war.
Lee Deng-ker (李登科), Dean of the College of International Affairs at National Chengchi University, said that according to a publication Balance of Power, published by the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London in 2003, Taiwan's per capita defense spending was lower even than Europe's neutral states.
According to that publication, he said, Switzerland spent US$480 per capita in 2003, and Austria spent US$308.
Although Taiwan faces one of the most serious military threats in the world, the country spent only US$200 per capita on defense in the same year, he said.
Lin Cheng-yi (
He said that the US had declined to sell Taiwan submarines for at least 20 years, and it has also refused to sell Taiwan P3C sub-hunting aircraft for several years.
"Therefore the US agreement to sell these weapons to Taiwan should be seen as [part of the US'] strategic concerns in the Taiwan Strait and East Asia -- not, as some have claimed, just a deal to serve US business interests," he said.
Alexander Huang (黃介正), a former vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council and now the director of Graduate Institute of American Studies at Tamkang University, said Taiwan should not simply focus on its homeland in its defense planning.
Instead, Taiwan should take the security of the broader East Asian region into consideration.
He said that since Taiwan is located in the middle of the so-called "first island chain," -- a notional maritime defense line running south from Japan to the Philippines -- the country should play a significant role in anti-submarine defense and maintaining secure sea lanes in the region.
He said that Taiwan can strengthen its overall security by emphasizing its regional responsibility and increasing its military cooperation with Japan and the US.
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
RSS