Huge gaps in military personnel and expenditures between China and Taiwan were highlighted in Taiwan’s National Defense Report issued on July 19. Detailed comparisons were given for the first time in the report’s history.
In personnel, Taiwan’s military has 270,000 servicemen and women while mainland China has 2.3 million. For the military budget figures, the report says that Taiwan spent US$ 9 billion in 2010, whereas the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) spent nearly US$77 billion. (Other reports have given a PLA expense figure of $91.5 billion)
Other significant arms imbalances:
• Tanks: Taiwan: 1,200; China: 7,000
• Warships: Taiwan: 190; China: 930
• Submarines: Taiwan: 4; China: 60
• Military Aircraft: Taiwan: 390; China: 1,860
• Ballistic Missiles: China has an absolute advantage
The report also points out that if the hidden budget is included in the comparison, China’s national defense budget is almost 21 times that of Taiwan’s. Some of the differences in armament sizes, however, are due to the relative sizes of the populations: Taiwan has about 22 million people, while China has 1.3 billion.
In response to local press criticism that the report was a “flag of surrender,” a Defense Ministry press release optimistically described Taiwan’s forces as “small but refined, small but powerful, small but precise.”
Though thawing relations and increasing ties between the two formerly fierce opponents have been evident recently, a Deputy Defense Minister told the press that these new conditions will not change the military’s resolve to defend the country.
Communist China denies that Taiwan is independent and now has over 1,000 missiles on its southern coast aimed at the island. The report claims that this fact shows that Beijing has never renounced the use of force.
The report states that a small quantity of China’s newest DF-21 (CSS-5) ballistic missile has been produced and was deployed in 2010. This anti-ship ballistic missile is believed to be capable of destroying American aircraft carriers.
A Taiwanese Military spokesman was asked about these imbalances and responded that Taiwan does not seek an arms race with China, but will instead attempt to make “optimal use” of the defense budget.
The release of the biennial national defense report comes at an important time since China has been carrying out military maneuvers in the South China Sea recently.
The tenth annual US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference is scheduled for Sept. 18, in Virginia, hosted by Paul Wolfowitz. The Conference will discuss how Taiwan can support US security strategy in Asia, given the numerous challenges presented by China’s rise as a regional power.
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