[The Epoch Times, December 28, 2022](Reported by Epoch Times reporter Wu Minzhou, Taipei, Taiwan) Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen announced on the 27th that compulsory military service will be extended to one year. Regarding the Kuomintang legislators questioning that the policy is under pressure from the US, Qiu Guozheng responded that when the US communicated with him, they only asked “Is 4 months enough?” but did not discuss it in depth. He reiterated that there was absolutely no pressure from the US, and the US did not give guidance .
On the 28th, Qiu Guozheng went to the Legislative Yuan to explain to the opposition party the policy of resuming the one-year service period. More than 10 legislators from the Kuomintang League attended to express their concerns. Comprehensively improve the treatment and sense of honor of soldiers.
Zeng Mingzong also warned that if the administrative order of one-year military service is sent to the Legislative Yuan and changed to “censorship” by the Democratic Progressive Party group in these two days, the Kuomintang group will pursue political responsibility. He also hopes that the Ministry of National Defense must make it clear to the whole people and listen to the opinions of all walks of life. related supporting facilities to avoid causing social unrest.
Legislator Jiang Qichen is concerned about how the one-year service period is calculated? Legislator Fei Hongtai questioned whether the United States played the game behind the scenes? Legislator Liao Wanru also said that she did not hear the Ministry of National Defense explaining what is wrong with the current supply of troops, and only assesses the extension of the service period from the perspective of the United States. Is it to turn Taiwan into a US defense outpost?
However, Qiu Guozheng clarified that the promotion of the adjustment of the service period to one year is not a few months, but a detailed review, and it is considered that adjustments are necessary before implementation. Qiu Guozheng emphasized that there is absolutely no pressure from the U.S., and the National Army of the Republic of China is not subject to foreign domination. In some meetings and exchanges with the U.S., it was natural to talk about building an army and preparing for war. The other side asked, “Is four months enough?”
He said that the pressure the national army is now facing can only be described as facing an abyss and walking on thin ice. The national military puts the country first and will not be dominated by foreign countries. President Tsai also said that he has not received pressure from the US, nor has he personally received guidance from allies or the US. The national army is the national army of the Republic of China, and it takes taxpayers’ money. It adheres to the principles of the Republic of China to defend the country and will not go against it.
As for choosing to restore the 1-year service period, Qiu Guozheng said that it was because of the law, which is not 4 months or 1 year. If the law is to be amended, it may be quite lengthy. At the beginning, it was hoped that within the scope of ability, it would be transferred back to 1 year.
Ke Jianming: Restoring the one-year service period is an unavoidable responsibility of the ruling party
With regard to the adjustment of the military service system, Ke Jianming, chief executive of the Democratic Progressive Party, said that, as President Tsai Ing-wen said, this is an extremely difficult decision, but as the ruling party, the interests of the country will always come first. After the August military exercise, the CCP’s threat to Taiwan became more obvious. Recently, 71 military planes were dispatched to harass Taiwan within 24 hours, which aroused the heightened vigilance of countries all over the world.
Ke Jianming said that there are many voices in the society who believe that the DPP has just suffered an election defeat and will no longer dare to touch the issue of military service. However, as Vice President Lai Qingde said, “Only political parties that put national interests first , it is possible to win the support of the people.” As the ruling party, it is an unavoidable responsibility for the DPP to make decisions that are beneficial to the country.
Ke Jianming emphasized that the DPP will continue to have a dialogue with the society on this issue, and hopes that the people of Taiwan can support this decision, because the country belongs to all citizens, and “peace depends on national defense, and national defense depends on the whole people.” Finally, he quoted the Latin adage “Si vis pacem, para bellum”, translated in Chinese as “If you want peace, you must first prepare for war”. This is the wisdom of the ancient Romans more than 1,600 years ago, which is worth pondering. ◇
Editor in charge: Yuzhen