TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Former Chief of the General Staff Admiral Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) called for the arming of Taiwanese citizens and the creation of a volunteer force similar to Ukraine’s during a CBS interview on 60 Minutes.
“If Ukraine can do that, why not Taiwan? You know, I’m trying to convince more people that it’s important because this is a symbol of the deterrence,” Lee said. He added that Ukrainians have inspired the Taiwanese but said changes were not happening fast enough.
In the latest episode of "60 Minutes," program correspondent Lesley Stahl discussed Taiwan’s defense woes amid ramped-up Chinese military aggression and how it is responding to them.
Lee told Stahl, “This is not a matter of if they will invade, it’s a matter of when they will invade.” He complained that the government has been wasting time and money purchasing the wrong weapons for many years, such as traditional hardware like tanks and fighter jets.
The admiral said what Taiwan should be buying are items more geared for asymmetric warfare, including Javelin and Stinger missiles and drones. He said the Taiwan military ordered a number of them but, in his mind, they were “not enough.”
“We began to order them but we have not yet received any, because other countries also have kind of similar requirements.”
Lee stressed that though Taiwan is not on top of the list of arms shipment recipients, it needs the weapons immediately. “We don’t have time to waste anymore,” he said.
Taiwan has bought about US$14 billion (NT$ 443.8 billion) worth of weapons it has yet to receive, per 60 Minutes.
Stahl also talked to Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), who pointed out that cybersecurity is another key concern. Taiwan is hit with 20 million cyberattacks each day, most of them coming from China, Wang said.
Wang added that China has been trying to annex Taiwan for the past 50 years using all types of methods. It is Beijing’s “dream” to seize Taiwan without the use of force, the legislator said.
Wang also called Chinese nationalists “naive” for assuming Taiwan’s largest semiconductor maker, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, could produce chips for China following an invasion. “You need human capital! You need to know how to manufacture, manufacturing that kind of product,” he said.
When asked if Taiwanese’s determination to defend their nation is as high as China’s desire to invade, Wang said he believes so.
Taiwanese embrace peace and do not want war, Wang said, but he stressed that they will not give up their democracy or their way of life. "That's surrender," he said.