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ROC MUST MAINTAIN SUFFICIENT DEFENSE CAPABILITY: PRESIDENT

Central News Agency

2005-07-06 17:55:24

    Taipei, July 6 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Wednesday that Taiwan must maintain sufficient defense capability as China has not become a democracy and still poses a military threat to Taiwan.

    In a statement marking the 60th anniversary of the Republic of China's victory in the eight-year War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Chen pointed out that during the past 60 years, the people of the "global village" have experienced a lot, including confrontation between two superpowers, the end of the Cold War, the third wave of democratic development around the world, the collapse of the former Soviet Union, the emergence of a new world order and the impact of international terrorism.

    He said people have learned enough lessons about the cruelty of war and the preciousness of peace. However, he added, the universal human values of peace and freedom are often accompanied with the tests on the conflicting parties' ability to tolerate and respect each other and can be obtained only through the fair and peaceful resolution of disputes.

    Noting that many enemies at war 60 years ago have already become partners, Chen expressed the hope that the current tension in the Taiwan Strait caused by Beijing's insistence on the "one-China" principle and its threat to use force against Taiwan, can be defused with the resumption of constructive dialogue.

    Chen praised the bravery of the army, which had to use inferior weapons to fight for the nation's survival against the Japanese. Their determination to place national interests and people's wellbeing ahead of anything else is the same spirit that the ROC people have relied on to build Taiwan into a democratic, wealthy and prosperous society -- known to the world as the "Taiwan experience" -- he said.

    He stressed the importance of Taiwan, saying that while the communist regime in China is undemocratic, its policy-making lacks transparency and its future development remains uncertain, Taiwan has become a stabilizing force in the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, as a loyal member of the democratic world occupying a strategic location, Taiwan has become the world's focus of attention with regard to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

    Chen called on the people to see clearly the threat from China and to support the government's three major weapons procurement plans to increase the nation's defense capability. He also urged the armed forces to "heighten their spiritual power to triumph over the enemy."

    He added that only a strong military force that knows what to fight for and whom to fight for can provide a secure environment for the government to complete the constitutional reform process, pursue a peaceful cross-strait relationship, encourage the people to help expand the nation's diplomatic relations, and modernize Taiwan's defense capability.

    According to Chen, an important inspiration from the war against the Japanese is that the weak can defeat the strong, as long as the military and the people remain united. By the same token, although Taiwan is small, its spirits are high, he added.

    In addition, he said, Taiwan has another asset that the other side of the strait lacks -- that the military belongs to the nation and its 23 million people, not any individual or political party. Their duty is not just to defend the nation and the people, but also to pursue world peace and freedom, which is the most cherished value of the government and people of Taiwan.

(By Han Nai-kuo)

ENDITEM/J