The Ministry of National Defense pledged to continue its new policy of having high-ranking military officials go on TV talk shows to promote the military's NT$610 billion arms procurement project, saying this will help the public understand the military and not be misled by opposition politicians.
"We must act in accordance with public opinion and seek the public's support ourselves," said spokesman Major General Huang Suey-sheng (黃穗生) during the weekly ministry press conference on Tuesday.
"Many legislators have encour-aged us to maintain this policy and arrange for more generals to talk with the media," he said.
The ministry sent three outspoken generals to appear on a political talk show at state-run Chinese Television System on Aug. 22.
The trio discussed the military's strategy and capabilities for coping with a possible invasion by China
Lieutenant-General Chi Lin-lien (季麟連), director of the Office of Joint Operations, Training, Doctrine and Development, and Lieutenant General Lei Kuang-dan (雷光旦), commander of the 6th Field Corps, both said the military could withstand an attack for 150 days.
Some opposition lawmakers have accused the ministry of trying to launch a "media offensive."
Huang, however, said that the ministry's policy will continue, adding that some defense experts and "famous commentators" have made ambiguous or groundless remarks, misleading the public about military-related issues.
"The military must shed its mysterious image. It received a positive reaction from the public after our top-ranking generals explained their experience and training," he said.
Since the start of the new legislative session earlier this month, Minister of National Defense Li Chieh (李傑) has personally taken on the task of communicating with opposition legislators. He also approved of his staff's suggestion to arrange for more generals to appear on cable-TV talk shows.
"The people of this country are the real masters of the legislators. We think that the more efforts we make to win the people's trust and understanding, the more support we will gain in the Legislative Yuan," Huang said.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS