Fengshan southern Taiwan, June 16 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian reviewed military cadets for the first time on Friday at an army academy in southern Taiwan in his capacity as the supreme leader of the Republic of China's armed forces.
Chen, in an army cap, solemnly reviewed 2,179 cadets from five military schools in the three military branches on the campus of the Chinese Military Academy (CMA) in the southern city of Fengshan, which is located some 400 kilometers south of Taipei.
The military parade was part of the celebration of the CMA's 76th founding anniversary. This was the first time that cadets from the Chung-Cheng Armed Forces Preparatory School, the Political Warfare College and the naval and air force academies have taken part in a CMA founding anniversary military parade.
Military sources said the unusual arrangement was part of the armed forces' efforts to pledge loyalty to their new supreme leader and to ease worries that the country's military brass may be at odds with President Chen over the issue of national identity.
For decades, the ROC's troops had been led by the Kuomintang and adhered to the goal of unification with mainland China. The KMT was forced to end its 55-year grip on power with Chen's stunning election victory in March.
There had been worries that the military might be reluctant to switch loyalty to Chen, whose Democratic Progressive Party favored Taiwan independence. Chen, who took office on May 20, was once a vocal independence supporter, but has soft-pedaled his pro-independence stand since winning the presidential race. Beijing has threatened to use force against Taiwan if the island declares formal independence.
Addressing the cadets, Chen said he has shown the maximum amount of goodwill toward mainland China since his election victory with a view to sparing the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait the damage of war.
"However, mainland leaders have never promised to renounce the use of force against us.Worse yet, mainland China has continued to expand its military muscle. Although we have no intention of engaging in an arms race with the mainland, we must beef up our defense capabilities to deter an invasion and safeguard our national security and people's well-being," the president said.
In the face of mainland China's mounting military threat, Chen said, the ROC must build up a high-quality, professional, modern and efficient deterrent force in order to ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. He also cited "upgrading early warning and electronic warfare capabilities" as a main direction for future military build-up and combat preparedness training.
In his speech, Chen also praised the efforts to "nationalize" the armed forces over the past decade to make troops neutral to politics and become a stabilizing force on the island.
The president said his administration will continue to promote peaceful exchanges and forge a confidence-building mechanism with mainland China in order to maintain peace and national security. He further pledged to improve military welfare services and upgrade military morale and dignity.
Before ending his speech, Chen led all cadets in chanting slogans "Long Live Freedom and Democracy."