Curt Flewelling – FISM News
A retired Taiwanese businessman has pledged $33 million to beef up Taiwan’s civil defense capabilities as the threat of a Chinese invasion looms.
Most of the money will go to the Kuma Academy, a private military group that will train civilian troops over the next three years. The remaining $13 million will be earmarked to train civilian marksmen.
Robert Tsao, the founder of United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), told the Taiwan News that he is hopeful that this massive cash infusion will help Taiwan become, “the land of the free and the home of the brave, as is the United States.”
Taiwan welcomes the tech tycoons’ funds as the feisty nation has just 88,000 active duty ground troops compared to China’s massive one million professional soldiers. Despite several allies throughout the world, defending itself against a foe of this size would be a daunting task.
A manageable tension could best describe relations between Taiwan and China since the end of World War II. This tenuous relationship has been further strained since Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s diplomatic visit to the tiny island nation last month. Following her departure, China launched large-scale military exercises in the region.
China has steadfastly vowed to “unify” Taiwan with the mainland, using force if necessary. But an imminent invasion may not be on the horizon. Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping is presiding over a very shaky economy made worse by unpopular and restrictive COVID policies.
Embarking on a massive military undertaking during such times may not be worth the risk. A senior Taiwanese official said, “Their financial trouble is actually quite serious, that might impede them from engaging in a major military scenario.”
Despite Tsao’s generosity, and Taiwan’s increased defense spending ($17 billion budgeted for 2022), they would most assuredly need the help of numerous allies if war broke out, as China’s defense spending is roughly twenty-two times that of Taiwan.
The tiny nation’s chief ally is undoubtedly the United States. America’s commitment to the breakaway territory has been fairly consistent over the years. The U.S. did however deepen its ties with Taiwan under the Trump administration by selling $18 billion in arms to their military and building a $250 million American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) complex on the island.
The Biden Administration’s policies involving Taiwan have continued in that vein. The U.S. continues to sell arms to the country and President Biden was the first U.S. president to invite Taiwanese representatives to attend the presidential inauguration.