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Taipei, Nov. 4 (CNA) Beijing is not expected to make any military movements targeting Taiwan in the runup to the island's next presidential race in March, National Defense Minister Tang Fei said on Thursday.

Tang said that he does not think that Beijing will go on the offensive in the election period unless Taipei introduces some additional "provocative elements."

Answering questions from lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan, Tang said a buildup of the Republic of China's military is vital to Taiwan's survival. His ministry's efforts to seek a military budget increase to 3 percent of the country's gross domestic product for the next fiscal year is aimed at sustaining sufficient military force to safeguard national security with a minimum military budget, he noted.

In the face of mainland China's continued military expansion, Tang said Beijing's desire is to replace the former Soviet Union as a world military superpower. As communist China will not stop its arms race with the United States, Beijing is unlikely to call a halt to its military expansion just to reach a compromise with Taiwan, he added.

On the issue of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act (TSEA), Tang claimed that legislation of the bill will not necessarily benefit Taiwan, as it might also "slash" the island's military strength.

Pointing out that the legislation of the TSEA in the US Senate will be very difficult despite the fact that the US House of Representatives passed the bill late last month, he said Taiwan should not pin its hopes on the act, and urged the government to "do what it should" to sustain good relations with the United States.

The defense minister also called for the establishment of a regional defense system, stating his opinion that Taiwan, in conjunction with the United States and Japan, should forge a military alliance to prevent any possible military attack by the mainland.

However, he stressed, national security must be built upon solid military clout rather than reliance on other countries. (By Flor Wang)