The military yesterday rebutted remarks made by a former deputy chief of the air force who said Taiwan does not have its own core military strategy and the weapon systems procured from the US in recent years are all “ineffective.”
Lee Kui-fa (李貴發) told a forum titled “Taiwan’s finance situation and arms procurements” recently held by the Chinese-language China Times that “all arms procurements from the US in recent years are ineffective weapons, which only allow the US to make easy money and reassure Taiwanese.”
“If the US really wanted to defend Taiwan, it should have offered effective weapons to the nation,” he added. “So, if the US does not actually care, why do we pay checks for those weapons the US wants to sell us.”
Former director of National Defense University, General Hsia Yin-chou (夏瀛洲), told the forum that Taiwan is unable to compete with China in military terms, no matter how much money the nation puts into defense.
Taiwan’s foreign arms procurement is a contest between the US and China, and an issue of which side Taiwan takes, Hsia added.
The military yesterday rebutted the retired military officials’ remarks in a press statement, saying that China is increasing its military power, and Taiwan has to strengthen its own defense capabilities, which is a best way to ensure a long-term peace between the two nations.
The nation’s core military strategy is to develop creative and asymmetric warfare capabilities, increasing the cost China would have to pay for military engagement with Taiwan, which would deter China from doing so, it added.
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