Taiwan to Cut 9,200 Troops as China Ties Warm

[Lankan Ranger]

Taiwan to Cut 9,200 Troops as China Ties Warm

Taiwan plans to slash the number of its troops by 9,200 this year amid warming ties with China, but the cut will be offset by more advanced weaponry, an official said March 7.

The reduction is part of a five-year plan aimed at trimming the size of Taiwan's armed forces by 60,000, or more than 20 percent from the present level of 275,000 troops.

But the defense ministry said the island's defensive capabilities would not be undermined as it seeks more high-tech and powerful weapons.

"The era of maintaining a huge number of forces has gone. Defense capability is no longer determined by the number of troops," the ministry's acting spokesman Lo Shau-ho told AFP.

Taiwan's relatively large army is a legacy of decades of tensions with China, which still regards the island as part of its territory since the two sides split at the end of a civil war in 1949.

However, ties have improved dramatically since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008 promising to boost cross-strait trade and tourism.

China's own military budget is set to rise nearly 13 percent to 601.1 billion yuan ($91.7 billion) this year, officials said March 4, while stressing that the mainland wants to modernize its armed forces for defensive duties.

But China's build-up is widely seen by analysts as geared in large part at reclaiming Taiwan. Taiwanese experts say China has more than 1,600 missiles aimed at the self-ruled island.

Despite the easing of tensions with Taiwan's giant neighbor, Ma says the island needs to maintain sufficient self-defense while pressing for dialogue with Beijing.

In January 2010, the U.S. government announced a weapons package for Taiwan that includes Patriot missiles, Black Hawk helicopters and equipment for Taiwan's F-16 fleet, but no submarines or new fighter aircraft.

Beijing reacted angrily to the arms deal, saying it would cut military and security contacts with the United States. But Ma's government continues to press Washington for an improved version of the F-16 fighter.

Taiwan to Cut 9,200 Troops as China Ties Warm - Defense News

 

[Akasa]

China should remove the DF-11 and DF-15 missiles from the border.

It will warm ties up, and it's not like removing them will decrease security (they can be redeployed in the matter of hours).

 

[ao333]

China should remove the DF-11 and DF-15 missiles from the border.

It will warm ties up, and it's not like removing them will decrease security (they can be redeployed in the matter of hours).

You're an idiot. Communist China needs to maintain a secure level of missiles to scare not the general Taiwanese populace, but businessmen who sees their stocks and investments turn to ash when war looms near.

By stationing those missiles in Fujian, you hold the rich and elites in Taiwan hostage, as they have the most to lose.

 

[Akasa]

You're an idiot. Communist China needs to maintain a secure level of missiles to scare not the general Taiwanese populace, but businessmen who sees their stocks and investments turn to ash when war looms near.

By stationing those missiles in Fujian, you hold the rich and elites in Taiwan hostage, as they have the most to lose.

And what does scaring them gain anything for China, besides more arms sales to Taiwan? Taiwanese know that these missiles could be redeployed anytime. Removing them is a pure sign of warmness, and they know that. As far as I know, if any conflict breaks out, these businessmen go down the drain. You don't need to station missiles for them to know that.

Taiwanese people aren't as naive as you think, buddy. Read some newspapers if you still don't understand.

 

[Aramsogo]

And what does scaring them gain anything for China, besides more arms sales to Taiwan? Taiwanese know that these missiles could be redeployed anytime. Removing them is a pure sign of warmness, and they know that. As far as I know, if any conflict breaks out, these businessmen go down the drain. You don't need to station missiles for them to know that.

Taiwanese people aren't as naive as you think, buddy. Read some newspapers if you still don't understand.

If war breaks out, won't the Taiwan elite just switch to China's side? It's not like China will shoot the landowners. Look at HK/Macao, the elites are doing better than ever.

 

[rcrmj]

if anything its a good sign for both traits, i hope all chinese well united together``

 

[below_freezing]

China should remove the DF-11 and DF-15 missiles from the border.

It will warm ties up, and it's not like removing them will decrease security (they can be redeployed in the matter of hours).

It's a symbol. Like (Dai Xu?) said, Taiwan should not overestimate its importance, the missiles aren't there just for Taiwan. We have no faults stationing missiles to protect a heavily populated area within our territory. It just so happens that Taiwan is across the strait, but we can't help that.

 

[CardSharp]

It's a symbol. Like (Dai Xu?) said, Taiwan should not overestimate its importance, the missiles aren't there just for Taiwan. We have no faults stationing missiles to protect a heavily populated area within our territory. It just so happens that Taiwan is across the strait, but we can't help that.

Does anyone know the number of short range missiles in Fujian? Those the dedicate blow stuff up on Taiwan missiles.

 

[Akasa]

If war breaks out, won't the Taiwan elite just switch to China's side? It's not like China will shoot the landowners. Look at HK/Macao, the elites are doing better than ever.

Which is why China doesn't need these missiles deployed.

---------- Post added at 04:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:33 PM ----------

It's a symbol. Like (Dai Xu?) said, Taiwan should not overestimate its importance, the missiles aren't there just for Taiwan. We have no faults stationing missiles to protect a heavily populated area within our territory. It just so happens that Taiwan is across the strait, but we can't help that.

We don't need to deploy missiles right on the coast to protect the people. If these people are threatened, we can redeploy them or send fighter jets over it within matter of hours.