PROTECTING FREEDOM: Taiwan needs defense systems, weapons platforms and bolstered societal resilience to ensure continued peace, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said
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By Fang Wei-li and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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Taiwan is developing civil-government interoperability as an antidote to China’s new attempts to dislocate the nation’s political institutions and erode its society, Deputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan (馬士元) said yesterday.
He made the remarks at the Civil Defense Convention in Taipei hosted by civic organizations.
The Chinese Communist Party is launching new forms of “dislocation warfare” and “erosion warfare” on top of its traditional tactics — public opinion, psychological and legal warfare — to throw the nation’s democratic system and government functions into disarray, Ma said.
Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim, fifth right, Deputy Minister of the Interior Ma Shih-yuan, fourth right, and other people pose for a photograph at the Civil Defense Convention in Taipei yesterday.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The deadlock in the legislature is an example of Beijing’s dislocation tactics, aimed at the workings of the government, while erosion is typified by China’s covert influence and meddling operations.
Taiwan would remain vulnerable to such tactics if the armed forces, police, firefighters and civil defense capabilities work separately, with no communication or cooperation, he said.
In response to that, the Ministry of the Interior has been promoting interoperability since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, he added.
Taiwanese society must come together, and make it clear that the nation is taking the steps necessary to protect its democratic way of life and to ensure the continuation of political, economic and religious freedoms, he said.
Working together with other democracies and being prepared to confront the threat of authoritarianism lies at the heart of President William Lai’s (賴清德) policy of peace through strength, he added.
Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Russia had shattered the post-Cold War global order by invading Ukraine and that Taiwan should learn from the conflict.
Freedom is not “free” and it takes all of society’s might to safeguard democracy, she said.
The Cabinet’s special defense budget is crucial to building up Taiwan’s resilience and ensuring continued peace, she added.
Defense capabilities come from tangible investments in defense technologies, not statements sent online via keyboards, Hsiao said.
Taiwan needs a vast range of weapons platforms, and sea, air, land, cyberspace and space systems, which would be impossible to obtain if efforts to develop a domestic technological capabilities do not get funded, she said.
Measures bolstering societal resilience is also urgently needed to confront geopolitical tensions with China, and overcome challenges such as earthquakes and extreme climate conditions, she added.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said Taiwan is improving its defenses not out of fear, but to safeguard democracy and freedom.
Taiwan would continue to support Ukraine and show the international community that democratic nations must remain united and be prepared in the face of authoritarian threats, he said.
Liberal Democratic League of Ukraine East Asian Office head Mariia Makarovych said that everyday civil defense not only protects the homeland, but also builds deterrence, making foreign adversaries think twice before taking rash actions.
Kuma Civil Defense Education Association chair Liu Wen (劉文) said that nearly 100,000 Taiwanese participated in the academy’s civil defense training since 2021, coalescing grassroots efforts to defend the nation against foreign aggression.
Taiwan has much to learn from Ukraine in countering China’s military might and geopolitical strategy, she said, adding that the association believes that resilience is the best deterrent, and that promoting civil defense education is key to building a confident and united nation.
