President Chen Addresses a Group of Marines at Tsoying Navy Base
Taipei, Nov. 8 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian warned his countrymen Friday not to be so naive to think that Beijing is willing to live peacefully with Taiwan because of its calls for direct transportation links with the island.
Speaking to a group of marines at Tsoying Navy Base in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, the president said Beijing's warships often sail across the median line of the Taiwan Strait in attempts to disrupt the peace across the Strait.
Noting that "laying down our own arms won't necessarily win peace, " the president urged his countrymen to support the nation's plan to buy Kidd-class destroyers from the United States.
Opposition lawmakers in the Legislative Yuan have tried to nix the budget for the purchase, claiming the warships are being forced on Taiwan by the United States even though they don't fit in with the country's defense program.
Chen said Beijing won't be more friendly to Taiwan even if the plan to buy the warships is dropped. "Disarming ourself would neither earn Beijing's gratitude nor bring peace to the island; rather, it would strip us of the capability to defend ourself and thereby cost us a chance to negotiate with Beijing," Chen said.
Stressing that no country can survive without defense and no economy can develop without security, the president urged all his countrymen to rally behind the government's defense policies because only a strong defense can force Beijing to talk to Taipei.