In the face of China's unreasonable and vicious diplomatic oppression, as well as the threat of its 706 ballistic missiles, Taiwan needs to build a defense system to effectively protect national security.
The core of this system lies in Taiwan, with its very limited resources, being able to find a mechanism to not only reduce tension between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, but also promote peaceful coexistence and joint prosperity based on equality, mutual trust and reciprocity to maximize the benefits to the people of both countries.
The anti-terror issue has been the pivot of US diplomacy after the Sept. 11 attacks. Although China has offered its support in the US war on terror, in exchange it has demanded that Washington abide by its "one China" principle.
According to a recent report from the Ministry of National Defense, Taiwan is gradually losing its military edge as a result of the growth of China's national power and its military modernization. Meanwhile, Beijing is launching its so-called "three warfares" approach, attempting to force Taiwan into submission by means of psychological, legal and media attacks.
In the face of the constantly changing threats from China, Taiwan needs a macroscopic vision if it is to safeguard stability and safety in the Strait. This vision includes two aspects:
First, solid national defense is the basis of Taiwan's survival. We must face the fact that China is constantly increasing its military threat againstTaiwan. We should actively push to strengthen the military while bolstering the public's psychological defenses. The ruling and opposition parties should support and pass major arms procurement initiatives to stabilize the cross-strait situation.
Second, Taiwan and China can build a mechanism of bilateral mutual trust. They can improve bilateral relations through this mechanism of transparent exchanges, negotiate about cooperation and take joint action on the basis of equality and reciprocity. Perhaps the two sides can start with pragmatic issues, and slowly accumulate their experience of cooperation. They can then establish more channels for dialogue and set up a bilateral mechanism for military mutual trust. In the future, they can even form a "peace zone" in the Strait, and move toward demilitarization and eternal peace in this region.
Chen Lung-chu is the chairman of the Taiwan New Century Foundation.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
As strategic tensions escalate across the vast Indo-Pacific region, Taiwan has emerged as more than a potential flashpoint. It is the fulcrum upon which the credibility of the evolving American-led strategy of integrated deterrence now rests. How the US and regional powers like Japan respond to Taiwan’s defense, and how credible the deterrent against Chinese aggression proves to be, will profoundly shape the Indo-Pacific security architecture for years to come. A successful defense of Taiwan through strengthened deterrence in the Indo-Pacific would enhance the credibility of the US-led alliance system and underpin America’s global preeminence, while a failure of integrated deterrence would
The Executive Yuan recently revised a page of its Web site on ethnic groups in Taiwan, replacing the term “Han” (漢族) with “the rest of the population.” The page, which was updated on March 24, describes the composition of Taiwan’s registered households as indigenous (2.5 percent), foreign origin (1.2 percent) and the rest of the population (96.2 percent). The change was picked up by a social media user and amplified by local media, sparking heated discussion over the weekend. The pan-blue and pro-China camp called it a politically motivated desinicization attempt to obscure the Han Chinese ethnicity of most Taiwanese.
On Wednesday last week, the Rossiyskaya Gazeta published an article by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) asserting the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) territorial claim over Taiwan effective 1945, predicated upon instruments such as the 1943 Cairo Declaration and the 1945 Potsdam Proclamation. The article further contended that this de jure and de facto status was subsequently reaffirmed by UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 of 1971. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promptly issued a statement categorically repudiating these assertions. In addition to the reasons put forward by the ministry, I believe that China’s assertions are open to questions in international
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment on Friday last week to add four national holidays and make Workers’ Day a national holiday for all sectors — a move referred to as “four plus one.” The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who used their combined legislative majority to push the bill through its third reading, claim the holidays were chosen based on their inherent significance and social relevance. However, in passing the amendment, they have stuck to the traditional mindset of taking a holiday just for the sake of it, failing to make good use of
RSS