Taiwan's military blasts China's proposed peace pact

Taiwan's military blasts China's proposed peace pact

A proposed peace pact between China and Taiwan was a ploy by Beijing to weaken Taipei's resistance, said a Taiwan defence ministry report yesterday (October 20).

It also noted that China has stepped up military exercises and patrols in the sea near Taiwan after the United States announced weapon sales to the island in October last year.

The island's biannual national defence report was released just a day after President Ma Ying-jeou said China had to remove missiles aimed at Taiwan before both sides can embark on a peace pact. China is said to have 1,500 missiles which can be used against the island.

In an interview with Reuters on Monday, Mr Ma also said he did not rule out meeting China leaders like President Hu Jintao, but did not say when this was likely. There has been speculation about a Hu-Ma meeting, especially after Ma was sworn in as chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) last Saturday. He could meet Chinese leaders in his less formal KMT capacity rather than as President.

Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949. Beijing continues to claim the island as part of its territory and threatens to use force to stop it from declaring de jure independence.

In recent years, China has fast caught up with Taiwan in terms of military power, the defence report noted. China's defence budget has been growing by double-digit figures over the last 21 years. Its budget this year reached 480.7 billion yuan (US$70.4 billion), a 14.9 per cent increase from last year's.

In recent years, China has also focused on approaches such as grooming military talent skilled in communication to help in influencing public opinion. Its military soft power poses a greater threat than its hard power, the report noted.

On a more positive note, the 188-page report mentioned the importance of developing confidence-building measures between China and Taiwan.

Leaders from both sides have mentioned the issue, and US officials have also voiced cautious encouragement.

"Without any mutual trust mechanism, an accidental occurrence might be misconstrued as an act of provocation and lead to a full-blown military conflict," the report noted. Such measures could include setting up a hotline as well as limits on military deployments to reduce the risk of war.

But the report also noted it was no go for these measures unless China reduces military pressure against Taiwan.

By Ho Ai Li

The Straits Times/Asia News Network