Taiwan Considers Extending 4-month Military Conscription

Taiwan Considers Extending 4-month Military Conscription
New recruits practice charging with bayonets at a military training center in Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, on April 22, 2013. Chiang Ying-ying/AP Photo
|Updated:

TAIPEI, Taiwan—Taiwan is considering extending its four-month compulsory military service, its defense minister said Wednesday, amid concerns about the self-governing island democracy’s tensions with China, which have been underscored by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said the government would not implement any changes immediately but he vowed it would release the results of its internal research regardless of what it decides. Any changes would only be effective a year after being announced and would be made following consultation with legislators, he said.