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President Tsai Ing-wen said Taiwan would extend conscription from four months to one year.
The decision comes at a time of tension between China and Taiwan. China claims Taiwan, an autonomous territory, as its own.
During a press conference today (December 27), President Tsai Ing-wen said that the defense must be strengthened in case of Chinese aggression.
“Freedom will not fall from the sky by itself… Taiwan is at the forefront of facing the expansion of authoritarian state power.”
President Tsai Ing-wen said conscripts need to train harder. He will borrow courses from the United States and other nations with advanced military capabilities.
She added, Taiwan’s current self-defense system is currently insufficient to withstand an invasion from China, one of the most advanced military capabilities in the world.
Since the early 1990s, the size of the Taiwanese military has shrunk, going from forcing every 18-year-old male to three years of service before finally dwindling to 4 months.
The new policy will go into effect in January 2024, the same month Taiwan will elect a new president.
“This is a very difficult decision. but as president and commander of the army It is my inevitable duty to protect the interests of our country and our democratic way of life.
“No one wants to go to war, Taiwan and the Taiwanese feel the same way. Internationals feel the same way,” she added. “The Chinese army’s aggression has become increasingly evident after the August war games.”
Tensions between China and Taiwan escalated after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi I traveled to Taiwan in August.
China has responded with the largest maneuver ever conducted in the seas around Taiwan.
Later in October, during his keynote speech to the General Assembly of the Communist Party of China, President Xi Jinping did not deny that he was not a unifying force with Taiwan. Later that week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said China’s reunification plans would arrive sooner than expected.
The case has seriously strained Sino-US relations. Tensions are also due to Taiwan’s close ties with the United States.
This is believed to be an important issue President Joe Biden spoke to Xi Jinping when he met during the G20 summit in November. Biden said he didn’t believe China would invade Taiwan.
However, the situation became more tense on Monday, December 26, with Taiwan reporting that China sends “sovereignty violation” fighter planes 71 ships in one day
