Taiwan is “racing against the clock” to reform its defenses, New Power Party (NPP) legislators and experts said yesterday, cautioning against politicizing the issue.
“Defense reform cannot wait any longer,” NPP caucus whip Chiu Hsien-chih (邱顯智) told a news conference in Taipei.
Short, medium and long-term goals are needed, along with better public communication, Chiu said.
Photo: CNA
The indigenous shipbuilding program cannot keep facing delays, as Taiwan’s aging warships cannot compete with China’s ships, which are only a decade old on average, he said.
Volunteer soldier training must also be improved, especially as China steps up its military intimidation, he added, criticizing reports of army privates being ordered to practice songs rather than train.
“Our soldiers’ time is precious,” Chiu said.
Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, agreed about the nation’s outdated warships, saying the budget should be increased.
Taiwan’s new-generation ships would be 6,000-tonne vessels propelled by a combination of gas and diesel engines, better capable of countering China’s gray-zone tactics, Su said.
The war in Ukraine and China’s recent drills show that warfare is no longer limited to traditional armed conflict, but also involves psychological, economic and other types of warfare, NPP Legislator Claire Wang (王婉諭) said.
Pro-China parties in Taiwan are also fostering a sense of defeatism, she said, adding that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has even sent its vice chairman to China, leaving Taiwanese confused.
The Ministry of National Defense should be more active than it has been and share as much as it can with the public, she said, recommending regular news conferences and public announcements of Chinese maneuvers, as well as timely reactions to public concerns.
These could pre-empt misinformation from China and ensure that Taiwanese do not rely on other countries to learn about what is happening at home, she added.
Former minister of national defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) called on politicians to extend conscription to one year as soon as possible, instead of waiting until after local elections later this year, as the nation is “racing against the clock” to bolster its defenses.
“Taiwan’s security cannot be subject to electoral or political considerations,” he said.
He also urged President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to hold a news conference detailing Taiwan’s “bottom line” for the global community.
As missiles flying overhead could mistakenly fall on Taiwanese territory, the president must clarify the nation’s stance, or other nations could doubt that the government has a strategy, he added.
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56
RSS