Taiwan deputy defence chief laments military readiness in face of threats
Taipei deputy defence minister says mainland threat remains, and lack of troops, resources and public awareness undermines security
Taiwan's military has warned that a lack of crisis awareness, a low birth rate and resource constraints could threaten security in the face of a growing threat from the mainland.
The deputy defence minister, Andrew Yang Nien-dzu, said yesterday there was still a long way to go before Taipei could establish "military confidence-building measures" with Beijing to avert that threat.
The defence ministry listed three factors that challenged the island's security in the English-edition of its which assesses military readiness and policies over the past four years.
"For more than half a century, the public has been living away from wars, in peace and prosperity, so that they gradually neglect threats and surrounding security issues," it said.
The ministry said Taiwan should examine how other countries educated their citizens about defence matters and the possibility of enemy threats.
The report said there was a need to "improve public awareness of espionage activities, encourage public participation in defence affairs, and strengthen the public's vigilance of maritime territorial sovereignty".
Taiwan and the mainland were bitter political rivals after their civil war ended in 1949, but relations have improved greatly since Ma Ying-jeou became the island's president in 2008 and adopted a policy of engaging Beijing.
