Free to speak》A peaceful life is never something you have to wait for

Walking on the road these days, the cool autumn wind blows. Neighbors greet each other as usual, and everyone is busy with the firewood, rice, cooking oil and smoke in life. This kind of ordinary day when we can plan tomorrow with peace of mind and have a good dinner with our family is the happiness we cherish most in Taiwan. However, when I occasionally see international news constantly discussing "when will there be conflict in the Taiwan Strait", or even calculating the level of risk in which year, it is inevitable that there will be a wave of excitement in my heart, and it also makes us want to find out more about what supports this hard-won stability.

Taiwan has strengthened its defense capabilities, and the first batch of F-16V BLK70 fighter jets from the Chinese military recently returned to Taiwan. (File photo) At the press conference of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs a few days ago, foreign media asked many direct questions one after another, ranging from the international assessment of whether the risk of invading Taiwan has been reduced, my country's acceptance of new F-16V fighter jets, and even the alleged surveillance of the families of Taiwanese politicians overseas. In the face of these substantive security concerns, the CCP spokesperson's response has been consistent. On the one hand, Taiwan's security situation is regarded as an "internal matter." On the other hand, it strongly opposes Taiwan's strengthening of its defense capabilities, and even downplays suspicions of overseas infiltration.

Listening to those standard words, we should actually see the contradictions in them more clearly. The reason why the international community believes that risks are under control at this stage is definitely not because the authoritarian system has suddenly changed its mind and is willing to show goodwill, but because Taiwan's efforts in defense preparation and international connections over the years have made the other side understand that any rash actions will have to pay an unbearable price. On the one hand, the CCP accuses us of provoking our strengthening of defense, but on the other hand, it has never stopped exerting pressure on the surrounding sea and airspace. If we mistake the "risk reduction" assessed by the outside world as a guarantee that we can relax our defenses, or even question the necessity of strengthening our own defenses, then we will fall right into the trap where the other party wants us to disarm ourselves.

Faced with such a complicated situation, we don’t need to scare ourselves, but we can’t have naive expectations either. For the government, every step of national defense construction and legal control must be made more transparent and practical, so that the world can see our firm will to safeguard freedom; and for each of us, the most precious thing is this sober consensus. Peace never rests on the kindness of the other party, but comes from our determination and strength to protect each other. Only by standing firm and possessing substantial self-defense capabilities can we maintain the freedom of choice in the international storm, so that the ordinary and warm daily life around us can continue to live peacefully.

The CCP has never stopped exerting pressure on the surrounding sea and airspace. Four Chinese coast guard ships recently invaded the Bashi Strait and moved northward to approach the east coast. The picture shows the Chinese Coast Guard ship Daishan. (File photo, taken from MarineTraffic) (The author is a faculty member)