Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said on Wednesday that a new military conscription plan will be announced before the end of the month. The new conscription plan could potentially extend basic military service from four months to a year.
Chiu says the ministry is trying to announce the plan before the end of the month because waiting until next year would result in more delays. He says, however, many decisions have to be made before the announcement.
Chiu says the military officials' main concern is strengthening Taiwan's military defenses and training. He adds the election outcome has had no impact on the new plan. Chiu says he considers the people's needs, so he wants to address all the problems before implementing the new plan.
Meanwhile, Chiu plans to increase the call-up of military reservists to 7,000 people next year. Under the system, reservists are periodically called in to undergo training.