Beijing sees Taiwan as its own territory and has openly threatened to take it over by force. Washington is the island's biggest arms supplier, but Taiwanese authorities are also keen to show what they might do to defend themselves.
#Taiwan #ChineseInvasion #TaiwanStrategy #DWVideos
~HT.178~ED.194~GR.121~
#Taiwan #ChineseInvasion #TaiwanStrategy #DWVideos
~HT.178~ED.194~GR.121~
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NewsTranscript
00:00 To the sound of a military tune, people file in and out of Xinbin Naval Base in southern
00:06 Taiwan.
00:07 The Navy has opened its doors to show people how it plans to protect them.
00:12 They're showing off home-produced military hardware and this ship is the star of the
00:16 show, making its public debut.
00:19 The Yushan is a new amphibious transport vessel, the biggest of its kind Taiwan has ever made.
00:25 Steel worker Wang Hongjun brought his daughter and nephew to take a look.
00:31 I've come to support our national defence as we face threats from China.
00:36 Taiwan's awareness of the need for self-defence is relatively weak, but if the military often
00:40 holds events like this, it's a chance for people to become familiar with the Navy, as
00:44 well as our own national defence.
00:50 The media are welcome to take the Navy's message around Taiwan and beyond.
00:56 Taiwan's defence ministry has invited media to tour the 150-metre long vessel, which only
01:02 entered service earlier this year.
01:04 The aim?
01:05 To send a message to its people, but also Beijing, that the island democracy is ready
01:10 for war.
01:11 It's a goal that's ever more pressing.
01:14 Chinese military intimidation of Taiwan has soared in recent years.
01:17 And Taiwan's ships may face this.
01:20 China's aircraft carrier the Shandong, which recently transited the Taiwan Strait.
01:25 It's a ship that dwarfs any in Taiwan's Navy.
01:29 Taiwan's new home-produced gear may look flashy, but the gulf in defence capability with Beijing
01:34 is vast, and it's widening.
01:37 That stark imbalance worries many in Taiwan, including Tsai Tung-lin.
01:42 He used to be a soldier, but left the army, sceptical it was battle-ready.
01:46 "Regular units put too much emphasis on duties unrelated to war.
01:54 I'm worried the army wouldn't be able to fight a war in its current state."
01:58 He decided to do what he could to draw attention to his worries.
02:05 So he walked around Taiwan's mainland, all the way around.
02:09 The 1,100-kilometre walk took 48 days.
02:13 It was a one-man warning of the threat posed by Beijing.
02:17 "Taiwan has always been in a more precarious situation than other countries.
02:24 For people here to have no concept of national defence is really dangerous."
02:30 The government is taking some action to make people feel safer.
02:34 From next year, Taiwan will extend the conscription period for men from four months to one year.
02:40 But a more fundamental message underpins events like this.
02:44 A reminder to Taiwan's people of the threat that made building warships like this necessary
02:50 in the first place.
02:57 [BLANK_AUDIO]