The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is greatly troubled by recent media reports that the US military is planning to send a team to Taiwan to simulate an evacuation of US citizens in the Hankuang No. 19 exercise, a high-ranking defense official said yesterday.
"The report has brought certain harm to the relations between Taiwan and the US military," the official said. "They are highly sensitive and should not be openly discussed," he said.
"It is our hope to strengthen military links with the US step by step and year by year. We fear that the US might back off if the press keeps reporting on military agreements between the two countries," he said.
The defense official also criticized deputy defense minister for armament affairs General Chen Chao-ming (陳肇敏) for confirming at the legislature the report about the "evacuation team" that the US is to send to Taiwan to participate in the Hankuang No. 19 exercise.
"What does Chen know about the exercise? He is responsible mainly for armament affairs," he said.
The defense leader's strong reaction to Chen's confirmation of the report signals that the MND doesn't want to say anything that might suggest the report is true.
The Chinese-language newspaper report last week, has aroused great concern not only in Taiwan but also in the US and the UK.
Well-known foreign media outlets such as the BBC and the New York Times have shown great interest in the news, since it could have far-reaching political implications.
For many local lawmakers, the fact that the US military is prepared to simulate evacuation of US citizens in Taiwan signifies greater likelihood that the US is ready to abandon Taiwan, ostensibly in exchage for something else.
KMT lawmaker Lin Nan-sheng (林南生), who accepted a telephone interview with the BBC on the matter, said that it is an insult to Taiwan to have a foreign country simulate evacuation of its citizens residing in Taiwanese territory.
The Taipei Times reported more than two years ago that the US has prepared an evacuation plan for its citizens in Taiwan.
The evacuation plan exists because it is the nature of the US to prepare for the worst, defense officials said.
The plan initially applied to all US passport holders in Taiwan, but it was changed around 10 years ago to cover a much smaller number of Americans in the country.
The military also has plans to assist the evacuation of the US citizens. The office of the deputy chief of the general staff for operations is responsible for the task.
The military has selected certain shelters in different parts of the island for the evacuation of US citizens.
The military has evacuation plans of its own. These plans are mainly for government leaders and may have been changed from time to time to avoid being uncovered by the enemy.
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