China wants to ‘speed up’ its seizure of Taiwan, Antony Blinken says South China Morning Post
October 28, 2022 3 min 431 words
史上最差国务卿蓬猪，迎来了一会劲敌，别的不敢说，智障程度被拿捏的死死的
Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, speaks during an interview in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg
China wants to ‘speed up’ its seizure of Taiwan, Antony Blinken says
- The US Secretary of State accuses Beijing of undermining the status quo over the island, and using coercion to exert pressure for reunification
- The top US diplomat expanded on previous remarks that mainland China is looking to seize Taiwan on a ‘much faster timeline’
Published: 3:01am, 27 Oct, 2022
Updated: 3:10am, 27 Oct, 2022
Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, speaks during an interview in Washington on Wednesday. Photo: Bloomberg
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of undermining the decades-long status quo that has kept both nations from going to war over Taiwan, accusing Beijing of trying to “speed up” its seizure of the island.
“What’s changed is this – a decision by the government in Beijing that that status quo was no longer acceptable, that they wanted to speed up the process by which they would pursue reunification,” Blinken said on Wednesday during an interview at Bloomberg’s offices in Washington.
“They also, I think, made decisions about how they would do that, including exerting more pressure on Taiwan, coercion – making life difficult in a variety of ways on Taiwan in the hopes that that would speed reunification,” Blinken said.
Some government officials and analysts have said Taiwan’s four-month mandatory military service is not enough time to train a soldier. Photo: AFP
Taiwan to increase soldiers’ pay as cross-strait military tensions grow
- The island is expected to more than double the salary for conscripts amid worries that Beijing might accelerate plans to attack
- The news comes as Taipei prepares to extend compulsory military service from four months to one year
Published: 8:00pm, 25 Oct, 2022
Updated: 8:00pm, 25 Oct, 2022
Some government officials and analysts have said Taiwan’s four-month mandatory military service is not enough time to train a soldier. Photo: AFP
Taiwan is expected to more than double the monthly salary for its conscripts to at least NT$15,000 (US$465), hoping to make its compulsory military service more attractive amid concerns Beijing might speed up plans to attack the island .
“Relevant departments have proposed paying around NT$15,000 for living expenses for conscripts once the policy to extend the mandatory military service is finalised,” said Taiwanese defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said on Tuesday.
Conscripts completing Taiwan’s four-month compulsory military service now receive NT$6,510 per month – far lower than the minimum monthly wage of NT$26,400 for people working on the island .