President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that the nation had a responsibility and an obligation to upgrade its defense capabilities to contribute to regional peace and stability.
Stressing that the country must not take lightly warnings from the US and Japan about China's increasing military power, Chen said that Japan, in its annual defense white paper released on July 6, was more concerned than ever over the mounting military threat posed by China.
In the report, Japan's Ministry of Defense said that China's military power had expanded beyond focusing on preparing for a potential conflict across the Taiwan Strait, and Japanese Minister of Defense Yuriko Koike warned of a possible reversal of military might, as Taiwan may no longer enjoy a substantial military edge over China, Chen said.
Chen noted that Japan's conclusion was similar to that of the US Department of Defense, which also warned in its annual report on the Chinese military that Beijing was increasingly looking to the strategic landscape beyond Taiwan, and that current trends in China's military capabilities were a major factor in the shifting balance of military powers in East Asia.
The president made the remarks during a ceremony in which he conferred honors on Deputy Chief of the Air Force Peng Sheng-chu (彭勝竹) and conferred the rank of second class general on Peng Chin-ming (彭進明), who was previously a lieutenant-general.
On reports that the US government had suspended its plan to sell F-16 C/D fighter jets to Taiwan in order to express displeasure with Taipei's push for a referendum on joining the UN, Chen said that the budget for the jets could be confirmed as soon as Taiwan obtained the US' letter of offer and acceptance for the fighter jets.
The Legislative Yuan has also approved a budget for a feasibility study on the purchase of diesel-electric submarines from the US, the purchase of submarine-hunting P3-C aircraft and a performance upgrade for Patriot PAC-2 anti-missile batteries, Chen said.
Chen said the government would continue to seek the legislature's support for subsequent procurement budgets to speed up the modernization of the military and would work to increase the country's defense budget.
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