The Ministry of National Defense yesterday released its White Paper on the country's national defense. The report is the sixth of its kind; the ministry began a tradition of issuing such analyses biennially in 1992. So speculation about the motive and timing of the paper's release, which coincided with the loss of another diplomatic ally and President Chen Shui-bian's (
The White Paper has a new emphasis that ought to ease any speculation about malice on the part of the government -- it stresses that the duty of the armed forces is to maintain peace of the country and the region and engage in so-called preventive war. This is a departure from the traditional emphasis on the readiness and eagerness of the military to fight and attack for a full victory.
This shift reflects Taiwan's own transformation from the days when the KMT regime had the entire country daydreaming of retaking "the mainland." China and Taiwan are two sovereign countries. All the government and the people of Taiwan want is to have the country's sovereignty respected and their democratic and free way of life preserved. This shift in theme is also consistent with the understanding between the US and Taiwan with regard to sales of defensive weapons to Taipei.
Another shift apparent in the White Paper is the new emphasis on high-tech arms and warfare. For the first time, superiority in information and electronic warfare is listed as one of the military's fundamental aims. The report also elaborated on the electronic and information warfare forces for the first time in the section where it introduced the armed services. This shift underscores a realization that sophisticated high-tech weapons may be the only military edge that Taiwan has over China. It is certainly no match in terms of the size of the two militaries. In case of attack, Taiwan will have to rely on this edge to maintain sea and air control until military aid from the US arrives.
How much longer can Taiwan enjoy this edge is unknown. The nation is at the mercy of its key ally, the US, when it comes to acquiring high-tech weaponry and China is catching up fast. With its new-found wealth China is spending an increasingly large amount on its military budget.
For the first time in a White Paper, the defense ministry has called for the establishment of cross-strait "military mutual confidence mechanisms," ranging from a hot line between the leaders of the two sides to demilitarized and military buffer zones, and an end to military exercises targeting the other side. The first two mechanisms are in particularly praiseworthy, as the former would surely reduce the chances of misunderstanding and miscommunication, while the latter would virtually eliminate the possibility of military confrontation in Taiwan Strait. Unfortunately, neither appear likely to become a reality any time soon. The third mechanism also appears to be a fantasy, since it is unlikely that China will stop targeting Taiwan, either with its military exercises or its deployment of ballistic missiles.
Overall, the new White Paper deserves a thumbs-up for its display of pragmatism and goodwill toward China.
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