DPP: China has never wavered on its belligerence towards Taiwan

During a meeting with a delegation from Japan’s Self-Defense fores in Beijing on July 2nd, Vice Chairman of China’s Military Affairs Commission Hsu Tsai-hou expressed that relationship between both side of the Taiwan Strait remain hostile. According to Hsu, currently China has no plans to reconsider the use of military force against Taiwan and will continue to regard Taiwan as an important focal point for military operations. In response to Hsu’s statement, the DPP’s Director of the Department of International Affairs Lin Chen-wei made the following points:

1. China has never wavered on its belligerence towards Taiwan

Recent developments included: China’s 2008 defense budget increased by 17.6%, military exercises by the People’s Liberation Army staging a rehearsal of special combat procedures to take over airports, the Chinese government’s refusal to remove the missiles directed at Taiwan and has instead replaced existing missiles with newer ones, and China’s Director of Taiwan Affairs Wang Yi’s refusal to accept Taiwan’s entry into the WHO, and Vice Chairman Hsu’s statement regarding current cross-strait relations as hostile. This chain of events indicates that military operations directed at Taiwan are still being guided by the Communist Party, which has not weakened its position despite recent cooperation, such as the KMT-CCP Platform, renewed cross-strait talks, opening of Chinese tourists into Taiwan, and direct weekend charter flights. Rather, under the direction of the Commander-in-Chief Hu Jing-tao, work has gradually begun on strengthening various military operations directed at Taiwan.

2. Rebuttal of Ma Ying-jeou’s “no unification, no independence, no war” policy

Vice Chairman Hsu’s statement on hostile cross-strait relations was a direct rebuttal of Ma Ying-jeou’s “no unification, no independence, no war” policy. After the Ma came into power, his position served as a guiding principle for cross-strait policies. Under this direction, KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung asserted that China would never shoot missiles at us, followed by National Security Council Secretary General Su Chi’s proclamation for the cease of diplomatic competition and US arms sales freeze. Even the Minister of Defense Chen Chao-min immediately reversed his own position by expressing that changes to the cross-strait air routes had no impact on national security. With the Communist Party’s increasingly belligerent dialogue, the Ma government has not only weakened its position but has also sent fear into the hearts of Taiwanese citizens.

3. Opening up eight airports has produced a hole in our national security

With the start of direct weekend charter flights, the Ma government lacks a well-rounded strategy. In their haste to uphold a campaign promise, they opened up eight airports (China only opened five). With response measures missing, the development has inevitably produced a hole in our national security. For instance, Hualien-Taidung has always been an important military base for the air force. In the future, Chinese aircrafts could explore the Hualien-Taidung ground facilities and other important areas. In addition, the government’s plan to shorten the new air routes to make them even more direct means going through the center of the Taiwan Strait. This action will decrease the amount of warning time to less than ten minutes, which is not enough time to intercept aircrafts with bad intentions. The exposure of important areas for air defense will have a large impact on Taiwan’s national security.

DPP: China has never wavered on its belligerence towards Taiwan