The problems that Taiwan now faces with regard to its survival are the Chinese military threat to national security and the magnetic effect of China on economic affairs. I believe that with strong national security our people will gain confidence in their investments, therefore the economy in Taiwan will grow stronger.
Due to Taiwan's inability to join any international organization, it is extremely difficult for the nation to buy advanced weaponry in order to build up its own national defense. However, although the Bush administration agreed to Taiwan's special arms procurement, even in the face of strong opposition from China, the procurement has still not been made because of political arguments.
On the other hand, China has undertaken many military exercises in recent years and is building up its military power.
It has more than 700 missiles pointing toward Taiwan and yet Taiwan continues to send fruit and vegetables to China. People in Taiwan don't realize the importance of national defense and the role of democratization.
The Ministry of National Defense is starting to educate people on how important national defense is. The ministry has already taken action regarding the special arms budget and opening military facilities to the public.
On the other hand, the government hasn't done anything about educating its own people on the role of democratization. There are so many people who are still confused about Taiwan's future. How can they be expected to invest their hard-earned money when the situation is totally unclear? The public wants to see something done as soon as possible.
Perhaps the governing party should conduct dialogue with China in public and the opposition should start processing arms procurement, to secure national defense, as well as strengthening ties with the US, to build up people's confidence.
Chiu Yen-Lung
Miaoli County
In a stark reminder of China’s persistent territorial overreach, Pema Wangjom Thongdok, a woman from Arunachal Pradesh holding an Indian passport, was detained for 18 hours at Shanghai Pudong Airport on Nov. 24 last year. Chinese immigration officials allegedly informed her that her passport was “invalid” because she was “Chinese,” refusing to recognize her Indian citizenship and claiming Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet. Officials had insisted that Thongdok, an Indian-origin UK resident traveling for a conference, was not Indian despite her valid documents. India lodged a strong diplomatic protest, summoning the Chinese charge d’affaires in Delhi and demanding
Immediately after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) “Justice Mission” exercise at the end of last year, a question was posed to Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal regarding recent developments involving the exercises around Taiwan, and how he viewed their impact on regional peace and stability. His answer was somewhat perplexing to me as a curious student of Taiwanese affairs. “India closely follows developments across the Indo-Pacific region,” he said, adding: “We have an abiding interest in peace and stability in the region, in view of our significant trade, economic, people-to-people, and maritime interests. We urge all concerned
In the past 72 hours, US Senators Roger Wicker, Dan Sullivan and Ruben Gallego took to social media to publicly rebuke the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) over the defense budget. I understand that Taiwan’s head is on the chopping block, and the urgency of its security situation cannot be overstated. However, the comments from Wicker, Sullivan and Gallego suggest they have fallen victim to a sophisticated disinformation campaign orchestrated by an administration in Taipei that treats national security as a partisan weapon. The narrative fed to our allies claims the opposition is slashing the defense budget to kowtow to the Chinese
In a Taipei Times editorial published almost three years ago (“Macron goes off-piste,” April 13, 2023, page 8), French President Emmanuel Macron was criticized for comments he made immediately after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing. Macron had spoken of the need for his country to find a path on Chinese foreign policy no longer aligned with that of the US, saying that continuing to follow the US agenda would sacrifice the EU’s strategic autonomy. At the time, Macron was criticized for gifting Xi a PR coup, and the editorial said that he had been “persuaded to run
RSS