Taiwan extends compulsory military service to 1 year

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan will extend its compulsory military service from four months to a year starting in 2024. It’s one of the major steps the self-governed island is taking to address military, diplomatic and trade pressure from China. President Tsai Ing-wen announced a comprehensive set of policies Tuesday that aims to revamp overall training for the military and strengthen the island’s reserves forces. The longer service applies to men born after 2005, and will start on Jan. 1, 2024. China claims Taiwan, which split from the mainland in 1949 during a civil war. The decades-old threat China’s invasion has sharpened since indepence-leaning Tsai was elected in 2016. The U.S. welcomed the conscription, saying it underscores Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense.