Taiwan Likely To Make 1-Year Military Service Mandatory Amid China Threat
NDTV
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen is expected to announce the extension in military service for all adult men in a press conference today.
Taiwan is expected to announce on Tuesday an extension in mandatory military service from four months to one year, citing the threat from an increasingly hostile China, local media reported.Self-ruled, democratic Taiwan lives under the constant threat of invasion by China, which considers the island a part of its territory, to be taken one day, by force if necessary.
Beijing's sabre-rattling has intensified in recent years under President Xi Jinping, and Russia's invasion of Ukraine deepened fears in Taiwan that China might move similarly to annex the island.
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen is expected to announce the extension in military service for all adult men in a press conference at 3:30 pm (0730 GMT) following a high-level meeting on national security, the semi-official Central News Agency said.
The presidential office said Monday that a proposal to "adjust the structure" of national defence was on the agenda, without providing details.
