(First in a Series of "Let’s Be Candid”) It’s Ridiculous to Say, “Fear What Others Don’t Fear, Don’t Fear What Others Fear!”

  (First in a Series of "Let’s Be Candid”)

It’s Ridiculous to Say, “Fear What Others Don’t Fear, Don’t Fear What Others Fear!”

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)

March 26, 2017

 Translation of an Except

Defense Minister Feng Shih-kuan, in submitting the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) to the Legislative Yuan, readjusted the guiding directions to "fortify our defense with multi-layer deterrence." He explained that "we will be equipped with combat readiness of multiple levels, multiple varieties and multiple capabilities, utilizing submarines, jet fighters and guided missiles to forestall the Mainland from landing on Taiwan.

The Defense Ministry has been, with great efforts, pushing for the local manufacture of fighter jets and local manufacture of war ships, exhibiting a determination for defense autonomy; but in reality difficulties abound. Arms and equipment are of course vital, but a more real problem for defense lies in the lack of morale among the troops and inadequate sources of manpower. If these problems are not addressed, then massive increases in the defense budget and upgrading weapon systems and equipment will still be difficult to reach the required heights of combat capability; conversely it could raise the degree of risks or disasters.

However, the government and public sector have not looked squarely at the crisis. Examining the font, the majority of people believe that in the case of any eventuality in the Taiwan Strait, the US will provide support. However, US think-tank scholars have denounced this as a "free ride" mentality; President Trump has also declared that for the United States to provide protection, a country must pay. Moreover, United States opinions vis-à-vis whether the US should risk a confrontation with the Mainland has always been divergent; the degree of support among the US public is at the low end of the spectrum.

In as far as Taiwan is concerned, these thoughts are not realistic. The only strategy to guarantee the realization of security is through the two connections, cross-Strait and global, which could prompt the Mainland to forego the strategic option of military conquest of Taiwan, and motivate it to seek peaceful consultations to resolve the cross-Strait question. What Taiwan can do is precisely to allow the Mainland, through cooperation with the Mainland and even countries around the world, to acknowledge that it cannot use force, nor does it need to use force to resolve the cross-Strait question. If this could be done, then it would no longer need to be tangled in how to perfect the national defense strategy, much less does it need to squander public funds in order to upgrade military equipment. The limited resources available could be channeled into economic development and social welfare, further elevating Taiwan’s attractiveness, and on the contrary could continue to eliminate the necessity for military reunification on the part of the Mainland, constituting a positive cycle. This is the best option for Taiwan’s development.

The entire world has been seriously assessing the growth of the Mainland’s national and military strengths, and cautiously coping with the situation; only Taiwan does not fear what others fear. How strange it is!

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