While Taiwan's domestic politics are entangled in finger-pointing and accusations of legislative villainy, people are foolishly ignoring the far more important issue of China's military buildup.
In the recent "2003 Annual Report on the Military Power of the People's Republic of China," the US Department of Defense cautiously reminded the world of the ongoing preparations and possible strategies for Chinese military action against Taiwan.
According to the report, the number of missiles that the People's Liberation Army has deployed on the opposite side of the Taiwan Strait targeting Taiwan has now reached about 450 and is steadily growing.
The current report, moreover, clearly expresses the view that divergent opinions about national identity in Taiwan have a major impact on Taiwan's security and that China is endeavoring to take advantage of this situation by attempting to exacerbate divisions in Taiwanese society.
This is a wake-up call for those who have placed simple economic interests above Taiwan's national security and overlooked the clear and present danger that China poses.
Beijing's expansion of its military capability is no longer a secret. Last year, the US defense department also released a report indicating a potential conflict in the Taiwan Strait might be the primary driver for China's military modernization. It estimated China's total military spending at US$65 billion a year, more than triple the US$20 billion publicly reported by Beijing. It added that China's military spending could increase three or four-fold by 2020. The major finding of this year's report foresaw a military imbalance between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait appearing between 2005 and 2008.
Despite the fact that Beijing and Taipei have stated that they would seek a peaceful resolution to the unification issue, the PRC's ambitious military modernization casts a cloud over its declared preference for resolving differences with Taiwan through peaceful means.
This year's report, therefore, serves as a timely reminder and all politicians in Taiwan should take into account China's military threat as one of the key issues in next year's presidential election.
Also, the changes in China should force leaders in both Taipei and Washington to seriously consider how best to keep a balance of power across the strait.
A military balance between Taiwan and China would ideally entail that both sides refrain from engaging in an arms race and military buildup and renounce the use of force against each other.
The potential military imbalance between Taiwan and China has not only become a regional concern but also created intense debate in Washington about how to strengthen military assistance to Taipei.
In this regard, if China can renounce military intimidation and respect the Taiwanese people's free will, the two sides can begin with integration in the cultural, economic and trade fields before further seeking a new framework for permanent peace and political integration.
While President Chen Shui-bian (
The opposition in Taiwan should bear in mind that we are dealing with the same enemy. Hampering or hobbling the government will not be constructive to Taiwan's national security.
Most importantly, as contenders for the presidency, the KMT's chairman Lien Chan(
Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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