Taiwan’s national defense report was released in Chinese and English simultaneously on Tuesday for the first time to boost communications between foreign countries and Taiwan amid efforts to combat the rising military threat from China.
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) began issuing the biennial report on the latest military-related developments in Taiwan in both Chinese and English in 1992.
Over the past 30 years, however, the Chinese edition was published first, followed by the English version weeks or months later after it was translated.
A military source told CNA that it previously took at least one and a half months for the Chinese version of the report to be translated into English and put online.
By publishing them together, international media can cite it in their stories as soon as it is published to make it more timely and newsworthy, the source said.
According to MND spokesman Shih Shun-wen (史順文), the latest change was also made to enable Taiwan’s armed forces to better communicate with foreign countries and support the government’s policy to turn Taiwan into a bilingual country.
In the 16th edition of the report tilted “Resilience: ROC Armed Forces,” the military reported on its efforts over the past two years to reform the country’s armed forces and strengthen its ability to deter intensifying military coercions from China.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel