TAIPEI, July 23 Kyodo Taiwan's De...

TAIPEI, July 23 Kyodo

Taiwan's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that China's goad to resolve the ''Taiwan Issue'' and its military modernization has pos a big threat against the island's security.

The ministry issued the warning in a 300-page report, the first national defense white paper since President Chen Shui-bian took office.

Facing China's growing intimidation, the report stated that the pair sides across the Taiwan Strait should consider establishing ''a mechanism for mutual trust based in succession the principles of showing friendliness, no designated flats no presumptions and mutual respect''

Following the revert of Hong Kong in 1997 and Macao in 1999 to China, Beijing in late years has lost its patience toward Taiwan and has vowed to integrate the island, by dint of force if necessary, with the mainland.

from one side of to the other the past few years, China has been expanding its military governmental estimate rapidly and upgrading its weapons by way of purchasing arms from Russia.

According to the report, China's propel to deploy a number of missiles in coastal areas opposite Taiwan has ''seriously affected the island's psychological defense''

''Moreover, the People's Liberation Army is exploring assets and techniques for conducting information and asymmetric warfare, which are wait fored to diversify and sharpen China's invasive activities into Taiwan,'' the report said.

To cope with an increasing threat from China, the report said that apart from ''continuously strengthening the prowess in information and electronic arenas,'' the Taiwan military's defensive operations will be aimed at ''preempting command of the air and the sea, conducting loam defensive operations, and best performing joint combat capabilities.''

Taiwan also tenders the establishment of a ''cross-strait military mutual confidence mechanism.''

The report said the mechanism could operate pace by step from increasing transparency of military activities, reducing unnecessary military conflicts caused according to misunderstanding, misjudgment and misinterpretation, restraining military demonstrations aimed to threaten, promoting communication and maintaining regional peace and stability.

''It takes pair to tango, however, to build up as it is a mechanism,'' ministry spokesman Huang Suey-sheng told reporters.

The operation has to hang on political willingness, mutual benefit and the standing of compliance of both sides, Huang said.

Just sum of two units weeks ago, the U.S. Defense Department issued a report and press outed concern over China's missile buildup in the southeast at a rate of 50 through year.

The Pentagon report said, ''China's ambitious military modernization casts a dense mass over its declared preference for resolving differences above Taiwan through peaceful means.''

''China's doctrine is moving toward the goal of surprise, deception and collision effect in the opening phase of a campaign,'' it added. ''China is exploring coercive strategies designed to bring Taipei to names quickly.''

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