28 Dec, 2022
By FactsWow Team
On Tuesday, Taiwan announced an extension in mandatory military service from four months to one year, citing the threat from an increasingly hostile China.
Credits: Taiwan News
Beijing sees autonomous and democratic Taiwan as part of its own territory and will one day seize it by force if necessary. The island lives under constant fear of Chinese aggression.
Credits: asahi.com
Under President Xi Jinping, Chinese armed aggression has increased in recent years, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine has fueled fears in Taiwan that Beijing could use a similar move to annex the island.
Credits: Encyclopedia
China's threat and the threat to Taiwan are becoming more and more obvious. President Tsai Ing-wen said at a press conference: No one wants war except our compatriots. Peace never falls from the sky.
Credits: Mint
She added that the current four-month military service is insufficient to meet the fast and ever-changing situation. They have decided to restore the one-year military service from 2024. Tsai said the extended requirement would apply to men born after January 1, 2005.
Credits: South china
Mandatory service was deeply unpopular in Taiwan, once a brutal military dictatorship that has since morphed into a progressive democracy.
Credits: Taiwan Nwes
Xi Jinping, China's most authoritarian leader in decades, has made clear that what he calls the reunification of Taiwan cannot be passed on to future generations.
Credits: Encyclopedia
Taiwan and China split at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and Tsai has said that becoming a part of China is not acceptable to the island's people.
Credits: Los angeles
Taiwan is a mountainous island and would pose a formidable challenge to an invading force. Yet, according to Pentagon estimates released last month, his 89,000 ground force is overwhelmingly outnumbered by his one million in China. Beijing also has a big advantage in military equipment.
Credits: Taiwan Nwes
Taiwan is stepping up reservist training and buying more fighter planes and anti-ship missiles to bolster its defenses. But experts say it's not enough.
Credits: The Guardian
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