On July 17, the Washington Times published an interview with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), in which he expressed his hopes that Taiwan, the US and Japan could jointly develop a missile defense system. Later, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, Huang Sui-sheng (黃穗生), responded that Taiwan has long hoped to strengthen military exchanges with the US and does not rule out the possibility of holding joint military drills. In addition, Huang said the ministry will evaluate whether or not Taiwan will work with the US and Japan on the research and development of a missile defense program.
Some local media has criticized Taiwan's policy on three-way missile defense cooperation by citing US experts opposed to Taiwan's participation, emphasizing that "Americans who have a deep understanding of missile defense and East Asian politics" disagree with Chen's viewpoint. Their opposition is based on two reasons: the missile defense system developed by the US and Japan is different from the missile defense technologies that Taiwan needs; and if Japan develops a system with the US and Taiwan, it will violate its post-war Constitution. The two reasons attest to the critics' poor understanding of a missile defense system.
A ballistic missile defense program can be divided into the theater missile defense (TMD) system and the national missile defense (NMD) system. What Chen referred to is TMD, which is now being jointly developed by the US and Japan. The US also hopes its allies can be equipped with those defensive capabilities as soon as possible, including Theater High Altitude Area Defense, the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missile and the Navy Theater Wide Defense program. In contrast, NMD is developed solely by the US. Since the program is aimed at intercepting long-range intercontinental missiles, the development of the technology is more difficult than that of TMD.
The TMD program that Japan and Taiwan want to participate in is aimed at intercepting medium- and short-range missiles and is not restricted by the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed by the US and Russia. Moreover, Japan's Constitution endows the country with the right to "collective self-defense." Therefore, Japan is vigorously strengthening its defensive capabilities along the coast. For example, the new Mid-Term Defense Program (2001-2005) that Japan is implementing now focuses on developing TMD-related weaponry, including Kongo-class Aegis destroyers, large escort ships and tankers.
In recent years, China has continued to deploy missiles. In 1996, it launched four M9 ballistic missiles into the seas off Taiwan. These acts, along with North Korea's test of a Taepodong 1 missile over the Sea of Japan in 1998, impaired stability in the western Pacific and forced the US and Japan to jointly develop TMD. In a bid to maintain peace and stability over the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan also hopes to increase military cooperation and exchanges with the US and Japan on TMD, even including holding joint military drills.
Since the US, Japan and Taiwan have reached a consensus on countering China's further expansion, the US is unwilling to comment on the TMD issue in public, lest China take the opportunity to criticize it.
It is imperative for Taiwan to participate in the US-Japan TMD program. The three may hold a trilateral security forum periodically on the international situation in the western Pacific. In addition, cooperating with the US and Japan on battle management, command, control, communication, and intelligence will also help Taiwan save up on defense expenditure.
Liao Shu-hsien is assistant editor of the Journal of Overseas Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies.
Translated by Jackie Lin
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