Steven,
And it begins... but how does it end?
From SCMP
"Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian yesterday called for an arms build-up to counter a perceived threat from the mainland, but denied he wanted to start an arms race.
Mr Chen also appealed for loyalty from the armed forces, which were controlled by the Kuomintang before he became military chief last month.
Making his first appearance as Taiwan's top military commander, Mr Chen saluted from an open Jeep and reviewed cadets at a ceremony marking the 76th anniversary of Kaohsiung's Whampoa Military Academy, originally based in Guangdong on the mainland. He promised to improve pay and conditions for the armed forces and surprised many when, adhering to tradition, he raised his fist and led the crowd in shouting slogans: "Long live freedom and democracy! Long live the Republic of China!"
Mr Chen said that while Taipei would never seek to provoke a cross-strait conflict, Taiwan's defences still needed to be urgently boosted in the face of unrelenting mainland threats.
"We have no desire to provoke a war with the Chinese communists," Mr Chen said. "But we do have a duty and responsibility to maintain our defence."
He said that while Beijing paid lip service to the concept of peaceful reunification, the mainland posed more of a threat to Taiwan than ever. "The Chinese communists have repeatedly increased their military budget and issued threats to us," he said.
"The national forces must maintain their readiness to protect our homes and our property. We must strengthen our national defence. We must fully modernise the armed forces."
Taiwan's armed forces rely on young men performing mandatory two-year stints of service but in recent years, efforts have been made to steer them towards becoming a professional volunteer army.
Observers noted that during his address, Mr Chen strictly adhered to traditional terminology and ideology, using the term "national forces" and even referring to former strongman president Chiang Kai-shek as "the late president, honoured Chiang".
"We can say that without the Whampoa spirit, without our military officers' devotion to continue our forefathers' mission, today there wouldn't be the free, democratic and prosperous Republic of China that is being admired by the world," he told the cadets. |
