Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) have accused their counterparts from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) of weakening national security, following proposed budget cuts to the submarine program and draft amendments to the Civil Defense Act (民防法).
DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) and legislators Michelle Lin (林楚茵) and Puma Shen (沈伯洋) held a news conference yesterday to discuss concerns about the proposals that they said could undermine national security goals.
Taiwan’s defense has serious challenges, Wu said, adding that KMT legislators Ma Wen-chun (馬文君), Huang Jen (黃仁) and Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) blocked funding for construction of domestic submarines.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The total submarine budget for the next 14 years is NT$28.4 billion (US$873 million), with the budget for next year set at NT$1.9 billion.
However, Hsu proposed a budget cut of NT$1.7 billion for next year, leaving just NT$200 million, while Ma and Huang proposed cutting the budget entirely.
China’s military activities near Taiwan’s airspace have increased in frequency, but the KMT has not allowed for Taiwan to strengthen its defensive capabilities since the Chen Shui-bian administration (陳水扁), Wu said.
During the administration of former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the government prioritized domestic submarine construction, but the KMT has repeatedly blocked those plans through budget freezes and proposed cuts, he said.
National defense requires unity, just as Taiwanese showed unity when cheering for “Team Taiwan” — the national baseball team who won the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s Premier12 championship in Tokyo this weekend, Lin said.
Comparing the budget for next year to a deposit on purchasing a home, Lin said that if the proposed budget cuts go through, it would announce to the world that Taiwan is abandoning its submarine program.
That behavior only benefits the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), she said, adding that the KMT should consider whether it wants to be the CPP’s “local collaborator” or support Taiwan instead.
Shen compared Taiwan’s national defense to winning a baseball championship — the frontline armed forces, the civil defense systems, and the people’s self-defense determination must all come together to achieve success.
By cutting the submarine budget and amending the Civil Defense Act and All-out Defense Mobilization Readiness Act (全民防衛動員準備法), the KMT undermines Taiwan’s frontline defense systems, reduces its logistical support and weakens the ability for citizens to participate in its defense, Shen said.
Recent actions by the KMT, including the proposed changes to the Constitutional Court and Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), “hollow out” the country, Shen added.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS