New Delhi: Institute for National Defense and Security Research, Taiwan's director of the Division of National Security Research and Defence expert Dr Shen Ming Shih, told ETV Bharat on Wednesday that the extension of compulsory military service will allow Taiwan to have sufficient military power to resist China's military aggression, reduce other regional countries' concerns about Taiwan's national defence and security, and have more confidence in intervening in and assisting conflicts across Taiwan Strait.
This came as Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen announced an extension of the island nation's compulsory military service from four months to a year coming into effect in 2024. The decision comes amid growing Chinese aggression in the Taiwan strait, which claims the self-ruled island as its territory.
Shih said that in particular, Taiwan can build a huge reserve force from these servicemen to form a strong deterrent power, so that China will not dare to act rashly and ensure the security of the Taiwan Strait. This is why the United States and the international community welcome and support Taiwan's extension of military service time.
When asked about how important the decision is for the international community especially for India, given the concern regarding Chinese belligerence, Shen said, "India does not have a compulsory service system because there is currently no shortage of volunteer troops, but the willingness and welfare of soldiers to serve for a long time will also affect combat effectiveness".
He opined that if India starts the conscription system, it can obtain abundant and strong manpower, promote the socialization of soldiers, and cultivate the patriotic awareness of citizens.
While announcing the extension of compulsory military service in Taiwan, President Tsai on Tuesday said during a press conference that no one wants war, Taiwan and Taiwanese people are the same, and the international community is the same," adding "China's military aggression has become increasingly obvious after its war game in August".
The ties between Taiwan and Beijing turned worse following the visit of US speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan this year, to which Beijing responded aggressively. "Peace will not drop from the sky... Taiwan is on the frontline of authoritarian expansion," Tsai added.
Further, the defence expert Shen Ming explained that it was a wrong political decision to shorten the conscription service time in the beginning, but because of the easing of cross-strait relations, it did not become a major issue.
"However, since Xi Jinping began to adopt a policy of further compression against Taiwan in 2019, the voice of using force to invade Taiwan has increased, which has also made the world worry about how Taiwan's small-scale military force can defeat China's military aggression", he said.
"After the Ukrainian war this year, the Ukrainian army and people fought bravely for more than 300 days in the form of city guerrilla warfare, resulting in the death of 100,000 Russian troops. This stimulated Taiwan to strengthen its overall defence capabilities, especially the reform of the reserve mobilization system", added the defence expert.
The conscripts will also undergo more intense training, borrowing some elements from the US and other advanced militaries. According to sources, the longest military service applies to men born after 2005 and will start on January 1, 2024. Those born before 2005 will continue to serve four months but under a revamped training curriculum.
