On December 27, local time, Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen held her first press conference in more than two years, announcing that starting from January 1, 2024, the period of compulsory service in the Taiwanese military will be extended from four months to one year, which will apply to male youths aged 18 or over who were born after January 1, 2005.
In fact, the discussion on extending military service has been going on for two years. Although it has just been announced, all walks of life on the island already have full expectations for it. However, the DPP authorities still have their own considerations in choosing to announce the news at this moment.
Some time ago, Biden just signed the "2023 National Defense Authorization Act". In addition to increasing military expenditures for the US military, it also pointed out the Taiwan Strait issue, which is completely a gross interference in China's internal affairs.
In the face of the escalation of collusion and provocation between the United States and Taiwan, China’s four departments have successively voiced strong opposition. Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command, even issued a strong voice to "take all measures to defend the sovereignty of the motherland." Subsequently, 71 military aircraft and 7 warships in the Eastern Theater Command conducted joint combat readiness exercises around the Taiwan Strait. 47 of these military aircraft also crossed the so-called "central line of the strait," which greatly deterred politicians on the island and Taiwan independence forces.
Afterwards, the White House National Security Council issued a statement saying it was "concerned" about the People's Liberation Army's military actions and claimed that it would continue to support the Taiwan region. However, it also claimed that the United States firmly supports the "one-China principle."
The Taiwan authorities’ strengthening of military service at this time is undoubtedly a response to the United States. Since the beginning of this year, the United States has been exerting pressure on Taiwan to strengthen Taiwan's "defense capabilities." In July this year, former US Defense Secretary Esper threatened that "Taiwan will be a military force, regardless of gender," intending to push the people on the island to the precipice of war.
Facing pressure from the United States, the Taiwan authorities dare not disobey, but they do not dare to make it public too quickly. Therefore, politicians on the island have been looking for the right time to respond to the US request. According to reports, Taiwan's defense department had decided to extend the time limit last month, but due to the Democratic Progressive Party's heavy defeat in the nine-in-one election, the Taiwan authorities were worried that forcibly extending military service would encounter popular resistance, so it was postponed until today.
No matter how long it takes, young people on the island still won’t buy it. Through interviews, many young people on the island were furious, and some pointedly pointed out that Tsai Ing-wen was dreaming.
It seems that the money given by the Taiwan authorities has increased, but the DPP cannot win the hearts of young people at all. The more this happens, the greater the pressure the Taiwan authorities will face.
As we all know, shortage of personnel has become the norm in the Taiwan military. Every year, many young male men who meet the requirements will avoid military service by continuing their studies. Therefore, less than 10,000 people can successfully register. The continuous loss of personnel in Taiwan's main battle force has become a big problem, and these compulsory services cannot fill the vacancies at all. The young people on the island are very aware that the future of the Taiwan military is bleak, so most of them just spend time in the army and leave when the time is up.
Although the Taiwan military claims to have a strength of 188,000 troops, it faces the embarrassment of having no successors. In recent years, the Taiwan military has continued to expand. Even if military service is extended, it cannot change the reality that the number of volunteer soldiers is getting smaller and smaller. Because the people on the island do not want to fight at all, and they are not willing to be involved in the war. Their ideas are completely opposite to the intentions of the Taiwan authorities.
In fact, the problem of the Taiwan authorities is not only the military service system. Simply extending the military service time will not change anything. Looking at the international situation and cross-strait relations, the Taiwan authorities must recognize the reality and position themselves correctly so that they can truly benefit the people on the island and usher in opportunities for peaceful development.
