Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng told the legislature on Wednesday that Taiwan creates its own national security strategy, independent of international assistance.
His comment comes amid another spike in US-China tensions over Washington’s 2022 Taiwan Policy Act. If enacted, the bill would significantly enhance US military assistance to Taiwan’s defensive capabilities against a potential Chinese invasion.
But Chiu says that Taiwan will set its own strategy according to its own needs. Receiving potentially billions of dollars in foreign funding will not change that.
Responding to recent reports that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has ordered his army to be ready for a Taiwan invasion by 2027, Chiu said the armed forces don’t operate with such deadlines in mind. He says that the army focuses on training and preparing soldiers for combat every day.
Chiu also says that it’s necessary to lengthen the period of mandatory military service for young men to bolster Taiwan’s defenses.