Responding to China's reported threat to use force against Taiwan in the next five years, Minister of National Defense Wu Shih-wen (
"If China's central military commission vice chairman, Zhang Wannian (張萬年), really said [as reported by a Hong Kong newspaper] that there will be a war in the Taiwan Strait during the next five years, I must respond by saying that we are ready for the worst to happen," Wu said.
Wu made the remarks yesterday to the Legislative Yuan's Defense Committee as part of his response to inquiries from lawmakers over recent saber-rattling by the Chinese military leadership.
China's second-highest military leader, Zhang Wannian, reportedly said it was "certain" that war against Taiwan would break out in the next five-year national development period, spanning from 2001 to 2005.
Citing a recent report on the military balance across the Taiwan Strait, compiled by the Rand Corporation, a US-based think tank, Wu assured lawmakers that China does not have the ability to stage a war against Taiwan during the next five years.
In the document, titled "Dire Strait? Military Aspects of the China-Taiwan Confrontation and Options for US Policy,"the three authors of the report suggested that "any near-term Chinese attempt to invade Taiwan would likely be a very bloody affair with a significant probability of failure."
"The Rand report describes very accurately our combat strength vis-a-vis the Chinese military's," Wu said. "But our defense policy is to get ready for war, but never ask for it."
Lieutenant General Hu Cheng-fu (胡鎮甫), deputy chief of the general staff for operations, expressed his agreement with Wu's assessment by saying: "As pointed out in the Rand report, Taiwan's military is superior to its Chinese counterpart in quality, although we unfortunately cannot match them in quantity."
"In the air superiority over the Taiwan Strait, for instance, Taiwan's air force has a distinguishable edge over its Chinese equivalent. Our combat pilots are better trained and more highly qualified. In the event of air combat over the Taiwan Strait, we will just wait for the invaders to become our prey," Hu said.
"But if the Chinese military continues its buildup at the current rate, and if Taiwan cannot match this progress in terms of combat capability, the situation will be reversed by 2005," Hu said.
He went on to solicit support from lawmakers of all parties for the defense budget, which was described by Wu as "barely enough" for spending on the various affairs of the military.
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