{"id":1377319,"date":"2022-03-15T05:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-03-15T09:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1377319"},"modified":"2022-03-15T08:10:25","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T12:10:25","slug":"the-ukraine-crisis-is-a-wake-up-call-for-taiwan-and-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-ukraine-crisis-is-a-wake-up-call-for-taiwan-and-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ukraine Crisis Is A Wake-up Call For Taiwan And Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-ukraine-crisis-is-a-wake-up-call-for-taiwan-and-japan%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1377319&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/taiwan-e1647299873682.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" alt=\"image\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has raised the concern that China\u2019s leader Xi Jinping may be emboldened to invade Taiwan soon. Such fear has shifted attitudes and strategic thinking in Taiwan and its ally Japan.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The last time Taiwan faced military assault by the People\u2019s Liberation Army (PLA) was in 1958. On August 23, under Chairman Mao Zedong\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org\/document\/117009.pdf?v=8c45e4291b3d5d7bc818b32c93c0d4e7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">directive<\/a>, the PLA heavily bombed Quemoy, Matsu, and other surrounding offshore islands. The PLA\u2019s bombardment of Taiwan only stopped after the United States <a href=\"https:\/\/digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org\/document\/117009.pdf?v=8c45e4291b3d5d7bc818b32c93c0d4e7\">demonstrated<\/a> its will to defend Taiwan by sending six aircraft carriers, three heavy cruisers, 40 destroyers, and two air force divisions to Taiwan strait.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Since then, the Taiwanese people have enjoyed several decades of peace and prosperity. The Chinese Communist Party changed tactics and had hoped that deepening economic ties between Taiwan and mainland China would eventually \u201creunite\u201d Taiwan with the motherland peacefully. To the CCP\u2019s disappointment,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ipdefenseforum.com\/2021\/02\/taiwan-poll-finds-citizens-identify-as-non-chinese\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a poll<\/a>\u00a0shows that most Taiwanese don\u2019t identify as Chinese. <\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s Xi Jinping vowed never to rule out taking Taiwan by force. The PLA has\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2021-07-07\/why-china-keeps-sending-warplanes-to-fly-near-taiwan-quicktake\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">increased both the frequency and the number of fighter jets<\/a>\u00a0it sent near Taiwan\u2019s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), hoping to intimidate the Taiwanese people. Still, most Taiwanese didn\u2019t take Beijing\u2019s military threat seriously until Russia invaded Ukraine.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"taiwan-s-people-prepare\">Taiwan\u2019s People Prepare<\/h2>\n<p>The Taiwanese people are shaken by the brutality of modern warfare and the increased possibility that they could experience similar attacks by China. They have seen that the United States and its western allies didn\u2019t send any troops to Ukraine. Instead, they have only imposed economic sanctions against Russia and provided economic and military aid to Ukraine. <\/p>\n<p>The Taiwanese couldn\u2019t help but realize that they could count on no one but themselves to defend their island if China invades. They have also found inspiration from Ukrainians\u2019 ferocious resistance.\u00a0Interest among ordinary Taiwanese in taking first-aid or self-defense training has jumped since Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine began, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/in-taiwan-putins-war-in-ukraine-stirs-new-interest-in-self-defense-11646402103\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the Wall Street Journal<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Taiwanese government officials and national security experts are reassessing the island\u2019s defense strategy based on the tactics and weaponry Ukrainians deployed to hold off Russia\u2019s advance. Some\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/165d676e-e2e2-44e9-bf83-cf5dd19b8444\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cRussia\u2019s difficulties getting paratroopers in shows how important functioning air defenses are\u2026 and how useful small, mobile systems such as Stinger man-portable missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles are in that situation,\u201d according to the Financial Times.\u00a0From Ukraine\u2019s resistance, Taiwan\u2019s defense officials learned that \u201clightweight and indigenously-developed Kestrel shoulder-launched anti-armor rocket\u201d are some must-have weapons for urban warfare.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/aerospace-defense\/taiwan-studies-ukraine-war-own-battle-strategy-with-china-2022-03-09\/?taid=62280a3418c5730001d5577c&#038;utm_campaign=trueAnthem:+Trending+Content&#038;utm_medium=trueAnthem&#038;utm_source=twitter\">favors<\/a> the idea of \u201casymmetric warfare,\u201d the same strategy the Ukrainian military deployed \u201cto make its forces more mobile and hard to attack with, for example, vehicle-mounted missiles,\u201d Reuters reports.<\/p>\n<p>There is a debate about revising the island\u2019s military conscription program, established in 1951. Since 2013, the conscription period has been reduced from two years to four months. Many defense experts have complained that the current conscription period is too short and the training inadequate. <\/p>\n<p>In the past, since any discussion of extending the conscription period polled poorly, the Taiwanese government hesitated to debate the issue publicly. But now, the Ukraine crisis has shifted public opinion. More and more Taiwanese are willing to at least debate extending the conscription period to be better prepared to defend their homeland.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"japan-reacts-to-ukraine\">Japan Reacts to Ukraine<\/h2>\n<p>The Ukraine crisis has had surprising effects on Japan too. Since World War II, Japan has vowed to be a pacifist nation. Its post-war constitution forbids the country from raising its military and limits its defense spending to 1 percent of GDP. There is also a solid anti-military sentiment in large parts of Japanese society that makes any discussion of increasing defense spending unpopular.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But in recent years, the Japanese people have become uneasy with China\u2019s increasing aggression in Hong Kong, the South China Sea, and the disputed Senkaku Islands. Japan has been vocal about China\u2019s military threat to Taiwan. Given the geographical proximity of Taiwan and Japan, Japan regards a Chinese invasion of Taiwan as a direct threat to Japan\u2019s security. <\/p>\n<p>Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/12\/01\/asia\/abe-japan-china-taiwan-intl-hnk\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">warned<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cA Taiwan emergency is a Japanese emergency.\u201d After Russia invaded Ukraine, Abe\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bizpacreview.com\/2022\/02\/27\/former-japan-pm-abe-calls-on-us-to-abandon-taiwan-defense-ambiguity-amid-ukraine-turmoil-1206433\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called on<\/a>\u00a0the Biden administration to abandon the U.S. government\u2019s long-held \u201cstrategic ambiguity\u201d position on Taiwan, which doesn\u2019t commit the United States to Taiwan\u2019s defense.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"japan-considers-increased-defense\">Japan Considers Increased Defense<\/h2>\n<p>Japan also found an unexpected source of inspiration: Germany. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Germany surprised the world by announcing that it would double its defense spending to 2 percent of GDP, a target set by NATO that Germany had resisted for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Germany\u2019s sudden change of heart ignited a debate in Japan about whether Tokyo should follow suit to increase its defense spending to 2 percent of GDP. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2022\/03\/04\/national\/germany-prompt-japan-defense-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>,\u00a0\u201cIn light of the recent invasion of Ukraine, a new National Security Strategy (NSS) will be formulated, and we must firmly discuss what exactly is required to protect the lives and livelihoods of the Japanese people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Besides calling for increasing defense spending, former prime minister Abe also kicked off a debate on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/a-new-nuclear-debate-in-japan-shinzo-abe-nato-us-russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-china-xi-jinping-11646147202\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">housing American nuclear weapons on Japanese soil<\/a>\u00a0under NATO\u2019s nuclear-sharing arrangement. Former U.S. President Trump had brought up this idea. <\/p>\n<p>As the only country attacked by atomic weapons in the past, hosting nuclear weapons had been a non-starter in Japan. But the Ukraine crisis has compelled Japan to look for ways to shore up its defense against China.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For now, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is focused on increasing the defense budget while rejecting Abe\u2019s<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/a-new-nuclear-debate-in-japan-shinzo-abe-nato-us-russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-china-xi-jinping-11646147202\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">call for nuke-sharing with the United States.<\/a><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Kishida may have to reconsider soon, since<strong>\u00a0<\/strong>China announced that it would increase defense spending by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AP\/status\/1499941515162001408\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">7.1 percent to $229 billion<\/a>\u00a0in 2022. Most China observers believe China\u2019s actual defense spending is much higher than this official figure. <\/p>\n<p>In addition, U.S. intelligence agencies released a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2esEqdnBGf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a>\u00a0this week saying China \u201cwill continue the largest-ever nuclear force expansion and arsenal diversification in its history,\u201d and it isn\u2019t \u201cinterested in agreements that restrict its plans,\u201d according to U.S. intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>It is difficult for Japan to remain pacifist as Beijing enhances its military capacity to advance its geopolitical dominance in Asia and beyond. At the same time, from Afghanistan to Ukraine, the Biden administration has shown it is incompetent and unreliable during a crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The Ukraine crisis has brought unconscionable suffering to the Ukrainian people, and it revealed some of the harm authoritarian regimes can cause. If there is one positive outcome of this crisis, Taiwan and Japan have begun to take China\u2019s military threat seriously. The steps they are taking to strengthen their defense may keep the peace in the region by deterring China from launching military strikes against Taiwan.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">\n  Helen Raleigh, CFA, is an American entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She&#8217;s a senior contributor at The Federalist. Her writings appear in other national media, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.  Helen is the author of several books, including &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Confucius-Never-Said-Helen-Raleigh\/dp\/1499185278\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&#038;keywords=Helen+Raleigh+Confucius+Never+Said&#038;qid=1606079469&#038;sr=8-1\">Confucius Never Said<\/a>&#8221; and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Backlash-How-Chinas-Aggression-Backfired\/dp\/1736008501\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&#038;qid=1606006113&#038;sr=8-1\">Backlash: How Communist China&#8217;s Aggression Has Backfired<\/a>.&#8221; Follow her on Parler and Twitter: @HRaleighspeaks.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine has raised the concern that China\u2019s leader Xi Jinping may be emboldened to invade Taiwan soon. Such fear has shifted attitudes and strategic thinking in Taiwan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1377319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1377319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1377319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1377319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1377319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1377319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}