Eradicate Cross-Strait Hostilities Rather than Procuring Arms for Bravado Purposes

  Eradicate Cross-Strait Hostilities Rather than Procuring Arms for Bravado Purposes

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

July 31, 2018

 Translation of an Excerpt

The government has increased the annual defense budget by NT$18.3 billion for the next year, a hike as high as 5.6%, which has become the focus of attention in various circles. Indeed, military budgets have long been inadequate, affecting national defense expenditures, which is well known to the public; however, for the sudden increase in this time’s defense budget, the starting font was not that the government agency in charge of national defense requested in accordance with the actual requirements for national defense administration, but the high echelon national security team in the government issued directives. On the one hand, it was to cope with the frequent military activities of the Mainland toward Taiwan, and on the other hand, it was to respond to US political appeals toward us, willingly and wholeheartedly becoming a "Taiwan card" in the hands of the United States.

Pertinent officials and scholars involved in Taiwan affairs of the US have in recent years endlessly accused us of inadequate budgets for national defense, affecting our military procurement from the US, which shows the diminishing determination of Taiwan’s "self-defense," and will cause a detrimental impact on the United States' defense of Taiwan. Now, as the countering atmospherics escalate between the Trump government and Beijing, and the US Congress has passed several bills friendly to us, high echelons on the national security team of the Tsai government seize a golden opportunity, especially requesting a hike in the defense budget, hoping through increased military procurement from the US, to respond and echo US policies. This in fact was not surprising.

However, military procurement from the United States is not so simple; US military sales are aimed at safeguarding and consolidating US national security interests, and not at satisfying the military needs of the purchasing states. For this reason, all military sales are the product under the US national security policies, and we absolutely cannot view the issue purely from supply and demand in economics for merchandise trade.

Our military procurement from the US is entirely controlled by the other side, while properly dealing with cross-Strait relations is controlled by us. Just as President Tsai Ing-wen said, “Defending Taiwan is our own responsibility.” Rather than relying on upping the ante to procure military equipment, why not come back to take the initiative in responding to the "two sides of the Strait are like one family," solemnly and fundamentally resolving cross-Strait divergences and employing wisdom to eradicate hostilities at the roots?

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