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Taiwan’s military must objectively assess PLA then ‘strengthen ourselves’, defence chief says
- Chiu Kuo-cheng says island won’t rely on People’s Liberation Army having ‘certain shortcomings’ in preparing for possible conflict
- Minister made the remarks after Pentagon report released last week said the PLA had highlighted weaknesses it needed to overcome
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Lawrence Chungin Taipei
Taiwan will not rely on the People’s Liberation Army having “certain shortcomings” in preparing for a potential cross-strait conflict, the island’s defence minister said on Monday.
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Chiu Kuo-cheng made the remarks after the Pentagon said in its annual report on Beijing’s military power that the PLA had highlighted a list of shortcomings it needed to address and overcome, including the inability to fight a modern war.
“In building up our forces and preparing for war, [we] must take into account the intelligence we have about the enemy,” Chiu told reporters before a meeting of the legislature.
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“We should not rest our hopes on the mistakes of others and regardless of whether they are good or bad … or have certain shortcomings, we should examine ourselves first,” he said.
In an annual assessment sent to Congress by the Pentagon on Thursday, the US Department of Defence said the PLA had publicly identified some weaknesses, likely as a way to guide and accelerate its modernisation efforts.
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