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Taiwan is expected to announce on Tuesday a one-year extension of mandatory military service, citing the threat posed by an increasingly hostile China.
Taiwan, which is self-ruled and democratic, is constantly threatened by an invasion by China, which considers the island to be part of its territory, to be taken one day, by force if necessary.
Under President Xi Jinping, Beijing’s threatening rhetoric has increased, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has heightened fears in Taiwan that China will follow suit and annex the island.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen is expected to announce the extension of military service for all adult men at 3:30 p.m. (0730 GMT) following a high-level meeting on national security, according to the semi-official Central News Agency.
The presidential office stated on Monday that a proposal to “adjust the structure” of national defence was on the agenda, but provided no further details.
If the formal notice of extension is issued next month, the change will go into effect in January 2024, according to CNA.
The prospect of a Chinese invasion has alarmed Western nations as well as many of China’s neighbours.
Xi, China’s most authoritarian leader in decades, has stated unequivocally that Taiwan’s “reunification” cannot be passed down to future generations.
Taiwan and China separated at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, and Tsai has stated that becoming a part of China is unacceptable to the island’s people.
According to Pentagon estimates, Taiwan is vastly outgunned in a conflict, with 88,000 ground forces compared to China’s one million. Beijing also has a significant advantage in terms of military equipment.
In the event of an invasion, the mountainous island would still pose a formidable challenge.
Mandatory service was once deeply unpopular in Taiwan, which was once a brutal military dictatorship that has since evolved into a progressive democracy.
Its previous government reduced compulsory military service from one year to four months in order to create a mostly volunteer force.
However, according to recent polling, more than three-quarters of Taiwanese citizens believe that is too short.
Taiwan has increased reservist training and purchased more warplanes and anti-ship missiles to strengthen its defences. However, experts argue that this is insufficient.
The national security meeting in Taipei on Tuesday comes two days after China conducted military exercises near Taiwan in response to what Beijing called “provocations” and “collusion” between Washington and Taipei.
