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President Tsai to convene high-level national security meetings

ROC Central News Agency

12/22/2022 11:58 AM

Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said Wednesday evening that she would begin holding meetings with high-level officials starting next week to discuss Taiwan's economy and national security.

The meetings will touch upon issues related to Taiwan's economy and national security, Tsai said in a social media post, without elaborating.

She added that she would report to the public the outcomes of the meetings and the government's subsequent plans in due course.

While Tsai did not go into detail about the focus of the planned meetings, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a separate statement that issues related to military conscription would be discussed.

Chang hinted that the government would finalize plans to reform Taiwan's mandatory military service at the meetings.

The spokesman added the plans would seek to strengthen military training and boost Taiwan's defensive capabilities.

The government is reportedly planning to extend the current mandatory service for men over the age of 18 from four months to one year in the face of the growing threat from China.

The nation's military is currently a mainly volunteer force, with conscripts serving in a supporting role, with the total number of troops at around 215,000.

As of 2021, there were a total of 160,000 voluntary military personnel.

According to the government figures, Taiwanese women - who are exempt from the draft but can enlist voluntarily - made up 15 percent of the country's military personnel.

In her post, Tsai also touched on the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) heavy defeat in the local government elections on Nov. 26, in particular, why the ruling party had fallen short of public expectations and thus lost voters' support.

Tsai stepped down as the ruling party's chairwoman after the DPP won only five out of 22 mayoral and county magistrate elections.

Describing the outcome of the elections as a "warning sign" to her administration, Tsai pledged to do more for those negatively affected by COVID-19, the soaring cost of living, and economic volatility.

(By Teng Pei-ju)

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