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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 MND fires back at PLA with own video
A Hsiung Feng II anti-ship missile launch last year is shown in the Freedom Is Not Free video released by the Ministry of National Defense in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Screen grab from the Ministry of National Defense’s video
SONG FIGHT: The ministry’s ‘Freedom Is Not Free’ video includes footage from military exercises held last year, including missile launches and footage of tanks and fighter jets
By Lin Liang-sheng and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writer
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday released a video showcasing Taiwan’s military might in response to a provocative song released by China’s People’s Liberation Army （PLA） on Sunday.
The PLA released a video on Sina Weibo that depicts Chinese fighters flying around Taiwan and several sites in the nation, including Taipei 101, while the lyrics of My Fighting Eagle Flies Around Taiwan （我的戰鷹繞著寶島飛） tell of the Chinese people’s desire to “reunite Taiwan with the mainland.”
The ministry’s Freedom Is Not Free （自由並非無代價） video includes footage from military exercises conducted last year, included the firing of Hsiung Feng III and Hsiung Feng II missiles, as well as views of Keelung-class destroyers with Mark 26 missile launchers.
It is intended to show China Taiwan’s resolve to defend its sovereignty and freedoms, and that the nation’s military is standing guard around the clock, the ministry said.
The video also includes footage of tanks, M110 self-propelled howitzers, fighters and warships.
“Threats from the enemy only serve to strengthen our resolve to protect our freedom and democracy. We will defend the Republic of China’s continual development, and maintain peace within the Taiwan Strait and in the region,” the ministry said, adding that the nation’s military officers and commanders share these values.
In reference to President Tsai Ing-wen’s （蔡英文） Jan. 22 comments that she hoped the nation could invest more in indigenous weapons and defense systems, and that the military would be unwavering in its resolve to protect the nation’s sovereignty and to strengthen itself, “our resolve to protect every inch of the nation’s territory has never wavered, our constant efforts to strengthen the military’s combat ability has never changed,” the ministry said.
The military is moving toward autonomy in the development of new weaponry and defense systems, it said.
“These are our promises to the people of this nation,” it said.
The ministry also thanked the public for its continued support, adding that even during the Lunar New Year holiday, the nation’s soldiers are at their posts day and night, always ready to act.
The video can be found on the ministry’s Facebook page （www.facebook.com/MilitarySpokesman/videos/2246671795654981/）.
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday protested to China over Beijing’s saber-rattling measure that it said was aimed at provoking cross-strait and regional tensions.
“This approach aims at reunifying Taiwan with force and will only have counterproductive results as Taiwanese will find it repulsive and distasteful,” the council said in a statement.
Additional reporting by CNA
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
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