Taipei, Jun 28 (EFE).- Taiwanese President William Lai (Lai Ching-te) said Friday that peace in the Taiwan Strait “favors world peace,” and reiterated the need to “prepare” the Armed Forces “against the threat of authoritarianism,” in reference to China.
“The international community recognizes that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are essential to global security and prosperity. Leaders of countries such as the United States, Japan, South Korea and the European Union are unanimously opposed to any attempt to change the status quo in the Strait through the use of force,” the president said from a recruiting camp in the city of Taichung (center).
Lai, considered a “secessionist” and a “troublemaker” by the Beijing authorities, stressed to the young soldiers that “every drop of sweat shed during training is to protect the security” of the island.
“The military’s efforts are in the interests of peace and stability across the Strait, Taiwan’s security, the preservation of democracy and freedom, and the continuation of economic development, which not only benefits Taiwan but also global progress,” Lai said.
“Our goal is peace. Taiwan is a peace-loving nation, its citizens are friendly and do not seek enmity, but in the face of authoritarian threats, it is necessary to be prepared,” added the island president.
Earlier this year, Taiwan made official the extension of the four-month mandatory military service to a year due to growing pressure from China, which considers the island – self-governed since 1949 – to be a “rebel province.”
The island territory will be the scene, from July 22 to 26, of a new edition of the Han Kuang maneuvers, military exercises organized annually to test the response capacity of the Taiwanese Armed Forces to a Chinese invasion.
Army Chief of Staff Mei Chia-shu said this week that troops based on Taiwan’s main island will not use live ammunition in this year’s exercises, instead focusing on preparing “defensive plans” for “different scenarios” of conflict that will be deployed without warning.
The Government of the Democratic Progressive Party (PDP) has increased its defense budget to a record 600.7 billion Taiwan dollars (18.5 billion dollars, 17.296 million euros) for this year due to frequent threats from China: during the last seven days, Taiwan detected the presence of 203 Chinese aircraft around the island.
