A former special forces paratrooper has been walking around Taiwan in full field gear to raise public awareness about national defense amid the military threat posed by China, the Taipei Times reported on Sunday.
The man, who has not given his name to the media, was quoted in the report as saying that all people living in Taiwan, regardless of descent, are “firm believers in freedom and democracy.”
The importance of the man’s message cannot be understated: China is an enemy of Taiwan. China poses a real and immediate threat to freedom and democracy in Taiwan, and the efforts of Taiwan’s military to deter that threat are crucial to Taiwan’s survival. This message is particularly important at a time when two of the three main candidates for next year’s presidential election are espousing ideas that would disadvantage Taiwan in relation to that enemy.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, has said that if elected president, he might reduce the length of the compulsory military service to four months — an idea that this week drew criticism from former US secretary of defense Mark Esper.
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) has said he would resume talks on the cross-strait service trade agreement to closely integrate economically with China.
Meanwhile, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who is widely viewed to be a presidential aspirant, has criticized President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Vice President William Lai (賴清德) for abandoning the “one China” framework. In an opinion piece published in the Washington Post on Monday, Gou said that the framework could help Taiwan “fully protect its democracy, freedom and way of life.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
Although Gou did not specifically mention China’s “one country, two systems” formula, Beijing would likely approach talks on a “one China” framework by pushing that formula. One need only look at Hong Kong to see how disastrous that formula has been for the people of Hong Kong, which has already lost all semblance of an autonomous and democratic territory.
It is also odd that a man who is believed to be a presidential aspirant would effectively say at the start that he would plan to abandon Taiwan’s sovereignty, which is what any discussion of a “one China” framework would equate to from Beijing’s perspective, since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has already said that the framework is not open to interpretation. From the CCP’s perspective, not only is there only one China, but the CCP is the sole legitimate government of all China, including Taiwan. Beijing would absolutely disallow the continued existence of the Republic of China.
Given the stances of the candidates on the Taiwan-China relationship, voters might be fooled into thinking that China is not such an existential threat to Taiwan, and they might lose sight of the importance of Taiwan’s military and defenses.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should celebrate people such as this former paratrooper. It should publicly extol those who demonstrate such commitment to Taiwan’s defense. It should paint a picture of armed forces members as heroes whose efforts make it possible for those living in Taiwan to go about their daily lives free of fear and enjoying their freedoms, while those in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China must cower in the face of an authoritarian government that could jail them for something as innocuous as expressing an opinion.
Longer conscription terms and regular training — of both men and women — are crucial to Taiwan’s survival.
However, the DPP must combat Chinese cognitive warfare efforts by reminding Taiwanese that conscription is not only a necessary burden, but is also an honor, which makes it possible for Taiwan to continue to be a bastion of freedom in the face of Chinese authoritarianism and hegemony.
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