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Cross-strait contact needed, report says

"The administration is dedicated to conducting talks with Beijing and securing the support of the international community."

President Chen Shui-bian

Taiwan and China must establish a military maritime consultative mechanism and a military buffer zone to prevent military confrontation and safeguard peace across the Taiwan Strait, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said in the nation's first ever National Security Strategy Report, which was made public yesterday.

"There is no doubt that there is a possibility of military conflict in the Taiwan Strait," the report said. "In a bid to lower such risks, the administration is dedicated to conducting talks with Beijing and securing the support of the international community."

To demonstrate the administration's resolve and sincerity in maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait, the report recommended four approaches to achieve that goal.

First, as long as the cross-strait situation is stable, the nation will reduce its armed forces by 100,000 and cut compulsory military service to one year in 2008.

Second, Taiwan will never develop or use any weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear and biological weapons. By the same token, the administration called on Beijing to publicly renounce the development and use of weapons of mass destruction.

Third, the administration encouraged both sides to set a military buffer zone, which would be off limits to any aircraft or vessel unless a notification is issued in advance.

Finally, the administration hopes to establish a military maritime consultative mechanism and a military hotline to prevent any possible military confrontation from taking place.

The five-chapter report, which will be updated every two years, outlines Chen's strategies for cross-strait defense and security-related foreign policy for the remainder of his second term.

Chen set democracy, sustainable development, dialogue with China and peace as the strategic goals for Taiwan.

The report covers three major areas: the new security environment Taiwan faces after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the US, the domestic and international threats to Taiwan's national security and the strategy adopted to combat these problems.

On the strategy to put an end to the military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait, the report has set a goal of increasing military spending to up to 3 percent of GDP by 2008.

The defense budget has been dwindling over the past 17 years. While defense spending accounted for 3.8 percent of GDP in 1994, it dropped to 2.5 percent last year.

Since military cooperation and exchanges with foreign countries are important, the report said that the administration will cultivate more professional personnel in military exchanges and enhance cooperation with other countries in the areas of intelligence gathering, maritime affairs and anti-terrorism efforts.

On the international threats to national security, the report pointed out Beijing's three guang (三光政策) diplomatic strategy. It refers to Beijing's determination to "take all" of Taiwan's diplomatic allies, "block all" of Taiwan's international channels and "crush all" of its international presence.

Beijing's relationship with Japan also plays a significant role in East Asian security, the report said. As the rise of China and its military buildup have a significant impact on regional peace as well as the strategic position of Japan and the US, Beijing's lack of transparency in its military might cause great concern in Japan.

Among the domestic threats, the report listed national identification, political confrontation, malicious competition among media outlets and the outflow of capital and professional talent to China.
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