Defense minister Yen De-fa says there is no sign of a full scale war from China against Taiwan. Yen was responding to an inquiry from ruling Kuomintang Legislator Johnny Chiang at the Legislature on Tuesday. Chiang posed the question as there have been numerous military maneuvers from China causing tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
Yen said the Taiwan military has always been ready for combat. He said China’s warplanes crossing the median line in the strait often occur during times of combat readiness. He said Taiwan’s national defense has established measures for dealing with any emergency.
Legislator Chiang asked whether the United States would sell offensive weapons to Taiwan. Yen said that the US and Taiwan are adjusting to changes in the current cross-strait situation. He also said the US is also concerned about maintaining regional peace.
Meanwhile, Kuomintang lawmaker Tseng Ming-chung said the latest public poll showed that 60% of Taiwanese people believe that the US will defend Taiwan if a war were to break out between Taiwan and China. However, only 30% of Americans think that the US should send its troops to help protect Taiwan. When asked for his opinion on the polls, Premier Su Tseng-chang said that Taiwan appreciates the support from democratic countries like the US and Japan but Taiwan needs to protect and save itself.