Taipei, Oct. 30 (CNA) The people of Taiwan should support a message on arms procurement that was delivered by United States official Stephen Young as it serves Taiwan's national interest, a pair of scholars said Monday in a press conference.
On Oct. 26, Stephen Young, the director of the American Insitute in Taiwan (AIT), urged Taiwan's legislature to pass a robust defense budget in its fall session, a message that should be supported by Taiwan's people, said Lee Ming-juin and Yu Wei-hsuan, both members of the pro-independence civil group Taiwan Society North.
"Compared with our Asian counterparts, Japan and South Korea, Taiwan's defense budget has been decreasing in recent years. It is against the global trend and hindering the U.S.' strategic plan in the Asia-Pacific region," said Lee, a professor at Huafan University.
If Taiwan does not raise its defense budget for this minimal requirement, the U.S.' line of defense in the first island chain of the Pacific Rim will have a large gap, Lee noted.
The U.S. offered to sell arms to Taiwan according to the Taiwan Relations Act, instead of "The Republic of China Relations Act," noted Yu, a professor at National Taiwan University.
"Which brings the uncertainty of Taiwan's status to the table," he said.
The U.S. has the right to be upset about the stalemate over the arms package in Taiwan's legislature, Yu said, as the U.S. military force could face casualties if Taiwan fails to defend itself in the event of a cross-strait conflict.
By opposing the robust defense budget and the arms sale, Taiwan will place its national security in China's hands, which could lead to a misjudgement by both the U.S. and China, Lee said.
"China could attack Taiwan relentlessly once it's capable of doing so. And the U.S. could interpret the case of arms procurement as Taiwan's willingness to accept unification and change its Taiwan policy accordingly," he said.