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Letter: China's threat a real one

I agree with your editorial ("Arms bill is Ma's next test," Sept. 6, page 8). Because politicians in Taiwan will be busy campaigning for various elections over the next 18 months, the new legislative session that begins on Sept. 19 is key to the passage of the long delayed special arms procurement bill.

According to an analysis by the US Congress, the main reason for China's considerable expansion of its armaments in the past 18 years is due to its aim to invade Taiwan. The Pentagon has also said that China's efforts to increase its ballistic missile strength and modernize its conventional forces are largely aimed at taking Taiwan.

China last year spent US$30.2 billion on its military. Based on the draft budget proposed by the Chinese State Council this year, 283.8 billion yuan (US$35 billion) was earmarked for defense expenditures, up 14.7 percent from last year's budget.

A report presented by the Pentagon in July said that China's defense spending was two to three times greater than acknowledged by Beijing or up to US$90 billion last year. Such spending would make China's defense expenditures the largest in Asia and the third-largest in the world after those of the US and Russia.

Although Taiwan insists on a road of peaceful development and therefore has no desire to expand our military powers, we need to appropriately increase funds to build the necessary armaments and raise our defense and combat capabilities.

We should, at the very least, show our determination to defend our country in the event of a cross-strait war and protect our core value, democracy, from being destroyed by the Chinese Communists.

Dai Kaifeng
Taichung

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