The government must increase the defense budget and improve public awareness of the threat of a Chinese invasion, an academic said on Sunday.
Associate professor of political science Chen Shih-min (陳世民) made the comment in response to a statement by US Navy Admiral Philip Davidson, who on March 9 told the US Senate Committee on Armed Services that China could invade Taiwan in the next six years.
Increasing the defense budget and strengthening reserve forces is crucial to the nation’s ability to ensure security in the Taiwan Strait, Chen said.
Photo: CNA
“The Ministry of National Defense must emphasize three factors: improved deterrence capability, increased defense spending and better public awareness of the [invasion] threat,” he said.
China’s annual military budget is 16 times that of Taiwan, and the Chinese military has continuously improved its missile technology and naval power, he added.
There are concerns about whether Taiwan’s defense systems could protect the nation against a Chinese attack, Chen said.
The situation is exacerbated by Beijing’s use of cognitive warfare to take advantage of the public’s lack of awareness about the threat China poses to Taiwan, he said.
“Therefore, the government must think about how to convey the seriousness of the matter to the public, while pushing forward with the development of indigenous military equipment, and simultaneously, the procurement of equipment from the US,” he added.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said he hopes the military would continue to invest in long-range missile and radar systems that would keep any military conflict with China outside of Taiwan’s borders.
Improving Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare capabilities and obtaining equipment, such as submarines, to help protect its sovereignty in the Taiwan Strait are crucial, as is increasing China’s cost of going to war with Taiwan, he said.
It was imperative that Taiwan has sufficient reserve forces that could be rapidly called up in the event of an invasion, he added.
The government must also be ready to prevent an attempted decapitation attack on the nation’s leaders, Tsai said.
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