Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) and other senior military officials came under scrutiny yesterday, with legislators questioning the combat readiness of the nation’s armed forces given the perceived threat against the frontline island of Kinmen, which is close to Xiamen, China.
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安) said Kinmen’s security is now in jeopardy as the armed forces have no defense against a surprise attack.
She said that the number of Chinese visitors to Kinmen has spiked to record levels, with 150,000 visitors last month — a daily average of about 5,000 people.
“This sharp increase is because our government has opened the gate to Kinmen for the Chinese. It is all due to the new policy of granting visas on arrival — specific to Chinese tourists — which was implemented in February,” Chou said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. “This represents a serious security threat to our sovereignty. Currently we do not have many troops in Kinmen — maybe only a few thousand. They are of insufficient strength to defend Kinmen and also have no combat readiness plan in case of hostile action.”
Chou said it is possible for China’s People’s Liberation Army to mount a surprise invasion by posing as Chinese tourists.
Kao said that since Kinmen was opened up to Chinese visitors, the armed forces have adjusted troop deployments and defense contingency plans to deal with a potential military threat.
“Our military and intelligence units are always on alert and ready to monitor suspicious Chinese tourists,” Kao said.
Chou has asked Kao and other military officials to present the legislature with contingency plans to counter possible hostile action on Kinmen.
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