Taiwan extends military service as pressure on China increases | conflict news

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Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen announced on Tuesday that Taiwan will extend compulsory military service from four months to one year from 2024, as the self-ruled island comes under mounting Chinese military pressure.

Speaking after a national security meeting she called to discuss bolstering the island’s civil defense, Tsai said Taiwan wanted peace but needed to be able to defend itself.

Announcing the decision, which she described as “very difficult,” Tsai told a news conference: “As long as Taiwan is strong enough, it will be the home of democracy and freedom all over the world, and it will not become a battlefield.”

Tsai added that the current military system, including the training of reservists, is ineffective and insufficient to counter the growing Chinese military threat, especially if it launches a swift attack on the island.

“China’s intimidation and threats against Taiwan are becoming more apparent,” Tsai said. “No one wants war… But my comrades, peace will not fall from the sky.

Taiwan wants to tell the world that between democracy and dictatorship, we firmly believe in democracy. Between war and peace, we win peace. Let us show courage and determination to protect our homeland and defend democracy.”

Tsai said the recruits will undergo more intensive training, including marksmanship drills, combat instruction used by US forces and the operation of more powerful weapons including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and anti-tank missiles.

Taipei, which rejects Beijing’s claims to sovereignty, reported the Chinese air force’s largest-ever incursion into the island’s Air Defense Identification Zone on Monday, with 43 Chinese aircraft crossing an unofficial buffer zone between the two sides.

China also staged intense war games near the island in August following a controversial visit to Taipei by then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi.

On Saturday, Beijing berated Washington over its new US defense spending bill that, with military support intended for Taiwan, has amplified the “Chinese threat” narrative, according to China’s foreign ministry. The ministry said in a statement that the defense bill “severely affects peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.”

Compulsory military service was once very unpopular in Taiwan, and previous governments under the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the main opposition Kuomintang reduced the service period for men from over two years to four months to appease younger voters. At that time, tensions between Taipei and Beijing eased.

In recent years, China has stepped up diplomatic, military and economic pressure on the self-ruled island to accept Beijing’s rule. Amid growing strain in relations, opinion polls show that more than three-quarters of Taiwanese now think four months of military service is too short.

Even after the extension, the service period would still be shorter than the 18 months stipulated for South Korea, which faces a hostile, nuclear-armed North.

The Defense Ministry said at the same press conference that the conscripts will be tasked with guarding key infrastructure, enabling regular forces to respond more quickly in the event of any attempt by China to invade.

Chih Chung, a researcher at the National Policy Foundation, a Taipei-based think tank, estimated that the extension could add an additional 60,000 to 70,000 manpower annually to the current 165,000-strong professional force in 2027 and beyond.

Cai also oversaw a vast military modernization programme, championing the idea of ​​”asymmetric warfare” to make the island’s forces more mobile, agile, and tougher to attack.

China’s growing assertiveness toward the island as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have sparked debate in Taiwan about how to bolster its defense systems.

Taiwan’s government insists that only Taiwanese can decide their future, and has vowed to defend itself if attacked by China.

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