The easing of tensions across the Taiwan Strait offers chances for interaction between Taiwan’s military and China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), an academic said on Sunday.
The two sides could start with basic cooperation projects, Wang Kao-cheng (王高成) of Tamkang University told a one-day forum held to address the nation’s current defense status and future prospects.
The military expert suggested sea rescue, anti-piracy collaboration, anti-terrorism plans and other non-traditional security issues as workable options for interaction.
Taiwan and China could then move on to academic exchanges and talks on the possibility of establishing hotlines to avoid accidental conflict, he said.
Such cooperation would not have to be included in a peace pact, he added.
The concept of a possible peace pact between Taiwan and China was introduced by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) during his re-election campaign last year.
With the easing of cross-strait tensions in recent years, the military challenges Taiwan is facing right now are long-term, rather than immediate threats, Wang added.
A possible reduction in Taiwan’s military budget because of economic circumstances, for example, might trigger a wide range of problems, including difficulties carrying out military reforms, he said.
The Ma administration has announced that Taiwan will adopt a volunteer military service system to replace the existing compulsory system by 2015 as a part of efforts to streamline the military.
Non-traditional threats such as earthquakes and the role played by the country’s military in disaster relief missions should also be widely discussed, he added.
Lin Cheng-yi (林正義), a researcher at Academia Sinica, said at the forum that helping out with disaster relief should not be the military’s priority task.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
BACK TO WINTER: A strong continental cold air mass would move south on Tuesday next week, bringing colder temperatures to northern and central Taiwan A tropical depression east of the Philippines could soon be upgraded to be the first tropical storm of this year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the next cold air mass is forecast to arrive on Monday next week. CWA forecaster Cheng Jie-ren (鄭傑仁) said the first tropical depression of this year is over waters east of the Philippines, about 1,867km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), and could strengthen into Tropical Storm Nokaen by early today. The system is moving slowly from northwest to north, and is expected to remain east of the Philippines with little chance of affecting Taiwan,
RSS