Taiwan is extending compulsory military service from four months to a year, President Tsai Ing-wenen announced, underscoring the island’s need to prepare for growing threats from China.
“The current four-month conscription is not sufficient to respond to the constantly and rapidly changing situation,” the minister said at a press conference.
“We have decided to reinstate the one-year military service from 2024,” he explained, adding that the reform will apply to all men born after January 1, 2005.
The island of Taiwan, with a population of 24 million, lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which considers it part of its territory, only to be reconquered one day, by force if necessary.
The announcement comes two days after Chinese military exercises near Taiwan that Beijing said it organized in response to “provocations” and “collusion” between Washington and Taipei.
“No one wants war…but, my compatriots, peace does not come from the sky,” the president reiterated.
Already under Xi Jinping’s presidency, Beijing has stepped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan as relations deteriorate.
The prospect of a Chinese invasion is increasingly worrying Western countries and many of China’s neighbors.
Xi, who was re-elected to a third term as China’s leader in October, has made it clear that Taiwan’s “reunification” cannot wait for future generations.
According to Pentagon estimates, the island of Taiwan is vastly outnumbered in the event of conflict, with 88,000 soldiers in the army, compared to one million in Beijing. Beijing also has a significant advantage when it comes to military equipment.
Taiwan has stepped up reservist training and purchased more fighter jets and anti-ship missiles to bolster its defenses. But experts say that’s not enough.
Previously unpopular compulsory military service was introduced by the military regime before the island became a progressive democracy.
The previous government had decided to reduce conscription from one year to four months, preferring to build an army of professionals.
The most recent polls show that more than three-quarters of Taiwanese think this duration is too short.
The military also struggles to recruit and retain full-time personnel due to weak financial incentives.
Tsai called his decision to extend military service “extremely difficult” but described it as intended to “secure the democratic way of life for our future generations”.
China and Taiwan have been separated since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and Taiwan’s president has said joining China is not acceptable for Taiwanese.
Source: DN
