Taiwan to extend mandatory military service from four months to one year amid tensions with China

MADRID, 27 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing Wen, has announced on Tuesday the extension from four months to one year of the period of compulsory military service due to the growing tensions with China, while detailing that the decision will take effect on January 1, 2024 to improve the combat capacity of the island against possible attacks by Beijing.

Tsai, who has also promised to increase the salaries of recruits, held a series of meetings with high-ranking officials to address security and economic issues on the island during the day, according to the Taiwanese news agency CNA. "China is threatening peace and stability and its threat to Taiwan is obvious," she denounced.

"The decision is very difficult," he acknowledged, while insisting that the authorities maintain their "determination when it comes to protecting the homeland." "Nobody wants a war. Only being prepared for war can avoid it. As long as Taiwan is strong enough, it will not become a battlefield," he concluded.

Hours earlier, Taiwan's Foreign Minister, John Wu, had stressed that the increase in Chinese naval operations in the area "is precisely the reason why Taiwan has to strengthen its defense capabilities." "Only preparation can dissuade the aggressors from an invasion attempt. Giving up is not an option for us. Never!" He pointed out through his official account on the social network Twitter.

For its part, the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense registered 71 Chinese Army military aircraft and seven warships around the coast of Taiwan during the early hours of December 26. In response, it dispatched military aircraft, navy ships, and ground-based missile systems to monitor these activities.

Relations between China and Taiwan were suspended in 1949, after the forces of the Chinese nationalist Kuomintang party, led by Chiang Kai Shek, suffered a defeat in the civil war against the Communist Party of China and relocated to the island of Taiwan. The Asian giant considers Taiwan its rebel province, despite the fact that the island has declared its independence and has the support of the United States and the European Union.