Taiwan conscripts begin extended military service

A batch of Taiwanese conscripts on Thursday began their year of military service, becoming the first in years to serve under that new time requirement. The Taiwanese government back in 2022 extended its compulsory military service period for citizens of the island from four months to a year, beginning with the conscripts who arrived on Thursday.

Why did it extend the time requirement for the conscripts? Taiwan made the change in response to increasing Chinese aggression. In recent years, China has increased its military encroachments on Taiwan. Chinese warplanes have stepped up their activity, flying jet sorties in the airspace around Taiwan, while China has also increased naval activity around the island in recent months. Additionally, Taiwan says the Chinese military has rehearsed and planned aspects of an invasion of Taiwan over the past year.

Dig deeper: Read Erica Kwong’s report in World Tour about the challenges confronting Taiwan’s newly elected president.