Taipei, Dec. 17 (CNA) Defense Minister Tang Fei said on Friday the Republic of China's drive to develop a missile shield is prompted by mainland China's mounting military threats, particularly its guided ballistic missile deployment.
Tang made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the second conference of the Asia-Pacific Security Forum, sponsored by the Institute for National Policy Research, a local private think tank.
This was also the first time that Tang has explained to the world the principal motivation behind the ROC's efforts to beef up its missile defense capabilities.
In his keynote speech, Tang also reaffirmed the ROC's commitment to contributing to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, adding he hopes the ROC's consistent efforts in this regard can receive recognition and support in the world community.
Because of a lack of consensus on the post-Cold War international order, Tang said, Asia-Pacific countries still fail to develop a full-fledged collective security mechanism.
"While the Western world has developed a 'safe community' concept, regional security frameworks in the Asia-Pacific and their functions still face many problems," Tang regretted.
Noting that historical national splits and territorial disputes have made the Asia-Pacific region a potential flash point in the next century in the eyes of many international affairs experts and scholars, Tang said a breakout of military confrontation will not only affect Asia-Pacific countries but will also have a strong impact on the global economy and even cause political instability.
Tang further pointed out that mainland China has continued increasing its military budget since the early 1980s with a view to establishing modernized armed forces to prevent US military intervention in its neighboring area so as to facilitate solution to Taiwan and South China Sea issues or at least to create a climate favorable to resolving these thorny issues.
Warning that mainland China's military build-up has prompted countries in the region to seek countermeasures, Tang said Asia-Pacific countries should establish a military mutual trust mechanism and keep defense transparency to ease mutual suspicion and curb possible arms races.
"We believe the most effective approach to tackle the post-Cold War Asia-Pacific security issues lies in the establishment of multilateral dialogue channels and a mutual trust mechanism," Tang stressed, adding that consultations on regional security issues should not exclude the ROC's participation. "Frequent compromise with mainland China would only encourage the rise of regional hegemony."
Tang further said the development and proliferation of guided missile technology has threatened security of the entire Asia-Pacific region, particularly in the Korean peninsula, Japan, Taiwan and South Asia.
"Frequent missile testing by mainland China and North Korea has forced their neighboring countries to seek effective ways to defend their national security and even triggered a controversy over the development a theater missile defense system," Tang noted.
As development and proliferation of guided missiles and cruise missiles would absolutely have a detrimental effect on regional security, Tang went on, those countries' failure to refrain from continuing such pursuit would eventually spark an arms race in the region. (By Sofia Wu)
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