Taiwan to cut troops amid warming China ties

Taiwan's military will proceed with a plan to slash the number of troops as relations with China improve and modern weapons technologies are introduced, an official said Monday.

The Defense Ministry will cut the island's 275,000 troops over the next four years, but has yet to decide on the level of cuts, ministry spokeswoman Lisa Chih said.

"It is part of the defense forces' restructuring, taking into consideration the new type of warfare, mainland relations and other external factors," Chih said.

Taiwan is able to reduce its number of troops because of the introduction of more modern weapons systems. It also aims to increase the efficiency of its combat forces, reducing the number of support personnel necessary to maintain them.

The troop cut is also in keeping with President Ma Ying-jeou's promises to gradually replace the current draft system with a voluntary force, she said.

China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949 and China still claims the island a part of its own territory to be unified by force if necessary. Both sides have built up their arsenals to prepare for a possible military conflict.

But since taking office last May, Ma has moved aggressively to reduce tensions with China by pushing for closer economic cooperation. He has also proposed to build a mutual trust mechanism with the Chinese military and eventually sign a peace treaty.

The pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party has been skeptical of Ma's initiatives, fearing Taiwan is letting down its defenses against its old rival.

"We question whether the troop cut is a goodwill gesture to China to help with the peace treaty," said DPP lawmaker Ke Chien-ming.