Amid China threat, Taiwan set to extend conscription

Taipei, December 27

Taiwan will extend its compulsory military service from four months to a year starting in 2024, President Tsai Ing-wen said on Tuesday, as the self-ruled island faces China’s military, diplomatic and trade pressure.

China’s People’s Liberation Army in particular has stepped up its military harassment of Taiwan, sending fighter planes and navy vessels toward Taiwan on a near-daily basis in recent years. In response, the island’s military actively tracks those movements, which often serves as training for its own military personnel.

The longer military service applies to men born after 2005, and will start on January 1, 2024. Those born before 2005 will continue to serve four months, but under a revamped training curriculum aimed at strengthening the reserves forces. — AP