2023/03/11
The Ministry of National Defense issues a press release to clarify media reports that "Taiwan is about to become the Ukraine of the Pacific" (March 11, 2023)
Press Release of the Ministry of National Defense
Time: March 11, 2023 at 22:20
In response to domestic media reports quoting a post by Garland Nixon that "Taiwan
is about to become the Ukraine of the Pacific", the Ministry of National Defense
(MND) stated that this has been quoted from the Russian state-run media channel,
Radio Sputnik, which is an official propaganda tool of Russia. These remarks about
Taiwan are sensational and false. Reports from Radio Sputnik are flooded with all
kinds of talk on values and prejudices that slander democracy and freedom, and aim
to manipulate, and cause hatred and confusion. This media has also been alerted as a
mouthpiece of authoritarianism by the US and other democratic countries.
As pointed out by the Ministry of National Defense (MND), the issue of the United
States planning to establish an arms stockpile in Taiwan is, in fact, a realization of
enforcement with regard to Article 5503 of the National Defense Authorization Act
(NDAA) for the fiscal year 2023 of the United States. This plan is still under join
evaluation of Taiwan and the United States.
The MND has emphasized that fabricated content serves no good purposes, and
domestic media should do their due diligence to verify reports before citing them to
avoid misunderstandings among the general public that may jeopardize national
interests.