Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) departed from his script yesterday during the 87th Anniversary of the Republic of China (ROC) Military Academy yesterday and emphasized that the ROC military and the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) were two entirely distinct entities.
“The nation's army is the ROC Army, and the PLA is the PLA, a fact that serving or retired officers should all know,” Kao said.
The minister’s comments came in the wake of a recent controversy over comments allegedly made by retired Air Force general Hsia Ying-chou (夏瀛洲) on a visit to China.
Photo: CNA
According to reports in the local Chinese-language media, Hsia allegedly told a gathering of retired military officers that no distinction should be made between the ROC army and the PLA, as both were “China’s army.”
Hsia has denied ever making such a comment.
Kao commended the long-term contributions of the Military Academy and encouraged students to learn from their predecessors’ spirit of sacrifice and determination to fight, glorifying the spirit of Huangpu, as the Military Academy was known when it was founded in Guangdong Province, China, in May 1924.
Turning to wu de, or martial virtue, Kao said the armed forces must pursue the ideals of defending the country and people, and maintaining social stability, adding that martial virtue was in essence a soldier’s “second life.”
“If the military cannot subscribe to those ideals or even turn its back on them, it not only turns its back on the nation that trained them, but also on the people who put their trust in them, and this will have a deeply negative impact on national security,” Kao said.
Following news of Hsia’s alleged comments, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) ordered a thorough review of regulations over visits to China by retired military officers.
At a routine press conference by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) on Wednesday, Taiwanese media asked whether the Chinese felt the continuation of the controversy over Hsia’s statement could affect military exchanges and mutual trust across the Taiwan Strait.
TAO spokesperson Yang Yi (楊毅) said the “deep exchanges” had increased mutual understanding and promoted peaceful development, which was an important development in relations between the two sides.
However, Yang also said limiting cross-strait exchanges or “actively fanning antagonistic ideologies” — a veiled reference to pro-independence forces in Taiwan — would be detrimental to the “hopes of the people across the Strait” and against the tide of cross-strait development.
It would also be unwise, Yang said.
Commenting on Yang’s remarks, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) accused the TAO of “blatantly carrying out ‘united front’ rhetoric,” adding that the remarks were tantamount to slapping Ma in the face.
DPP Legislator Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) said the TAO’s strong language and assumed suzerainty over Taiwan was completely unacceptable to the DPP and Taiwanese.
Wong said retired generals who used inappropriate language that betrayed the nation and undermined trust in the government would rightly be criticized.
“We have our own stance and the TAO has no right and is in no position to criticize us,” Wong said.
TRANSLATED BY JAKE CHUNG, STAFF WRITER
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS