私財４５億円で対中防衛「民間勇士」３００万人育成へ 台湾実業家

【台北ＡＦＰ＝時事】台湾の半導体大手、聯華電子（ＵＭＣ）創業者の曹興誠（ロバート・ツァオ）氏（７５）は１日、私財１０億台湾ドル（約４５億円）を投じ、中国の台湾侵攻が現実となった場合に防衛支援を行う「民間の勇士」３００万人以上を育成する計画を発表した。（写真は台湾・台北の立法院（議会）で、防弾チョッキを着て記者会見に臨み、再取得した台湾籍の身分証明書の拡大コピーを披露する曹氏）
　曹氏は台湾で最も成功した大物実業家の一人。多くの台湾財界人と同様に中国に巨額投資を行っており、対中問題では長く慎重姿勢を取ってきたが、近年ＵＭＣの役職を退いて以降は率直な発言が増えている。
　防弾チョッキを着て記者会見に登場した曹氏は、中国が台湾に対して武力を行使すれば「意図的な虐殺、悪質な戦争犯罪、人道に対する罪」になると警告。今後３年間で、台湾軍と連携して活動できる「黒熊勇士」３００万人の訓練に６億台湾ドル（約２７億円）を、「狙撃手」３０万人の育成に４億台湾ドル（約１８億円）を充てると説明した。
　曹氏は、中国の脅威は実在すると主張。「台湾に対する中国共産党の脅威は増大している。この脅威との戦いは、奴隷制に対する自由、権威主義に対する民主主義、野蛮に対する文明を意味する」と述べた。
　米国防総省の推計では、中国軍の兵力１００万人に対し、台湾軍の地上戦力は８万８０００人で圧倒的に不利な状況にある。台湾人男性の兵役義務は現在、わずか４か月だ。
　ロシアの侵攻を受けたウクライナの戦いぶりに台湾の人々の注目が集まる中、米国や台湾の軍事専門家は、民間人への戦闘訓練を含む非対称戦略、通称「ヤマアラシ戦略」を採用するよう台湾政府に助言している。
　記者会見で曹氏は、台湾を「もう一つの香港」にしてはならないと強調。「中国共産党の本質はフーリガンだ。彼らはソビエト連邦から暴力とうそを学んだ。中華人民共和国は、政府と国家を装ったギャング組織だ」と語った。
　曹氏は先月、米政府系放送局ラジオ・フリー・アジア（ＲＦＡ）で、かつてシンガポールの旅券（パスポート）を申請するため放棄した台湾籍を再び取得する意向を表明。祖国で死にたいからだと説明していた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/09/02-11:29）

A colourful Taiwanese tycoon unveiled plans Thursday to train more than three million civilian warriors to help defend the democratic island in the event of a Chinese invasion, donating TW$1 billion ($33 million) of his own money.
Robert Tsao, 75, is one of Taiwan's most successful businessmen and founded major microchip maker United Microelectronics Corp (UMC).
He has been increasingly outspoken against Beijing, and his donation comes after China's military put on a huge show of force to protest US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taipei last month.
Taiwan lives under constant threat of invasion by China, which claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory to be seized one day -- by force if necessary.
For a week after Pelosi's visit, China sent warships, missiles and fighter jets into the waters and skies around Taiwan, its largest and most aggressive exercises since the mid-1990s.
Tsao, who donned body armour for his announcement, warned it would be an intentional slaughter and vicious war crime and crime against humanity if China were to use force against Taiwan.
The tycoon said he would put TW$600 million towards training three million black bear warriors in the next three years who could work alongside the military.
Another TW$400 million will be used to train 300,000 marksmen with shooting skills.
- Taiwan outgunned -
Tsao, who no longer holds any position or title with UMC, portrayed the risk posed by China as existential.
The Chinese Communist Party's threat to Taiwan is growing and the fight against (it) stands for freedom against slavery, democracy against authoritarianism and civilised against barbaric, he said.
Taiwan has spent decades living alongside China's threats, but the sabre rattling has become more pronounced under President Xi Jinping.
China's most authoritarian leader in a generation, Xi is on the cusp of securing an unprecedented third term later this year and has made gaining Taiwan a key part of his national rejuvenation goals.
Taiwan remains massively outgunned, with 88,000 ground forces compared to China's one million troops, according to Pentagon estimates.
Mandatory military service for Taiwanese men is currently just four months.
American and Taiwanese strategists have increasingly pushed Taipei to adopt a porcupine strategy of asymmetric warfare, which would include training civilians to fight.
Russia's stalled invasion of Ukraine has also focused attention in Taiwan on both the threats posed by a giant authoritarian neighbour and how huge armies can be resisted by a much smaller but determined defender.
Like many of Taiwan's leading business figures, Tsao had huge investments in China and spent years speaking cautiously about Beijing.
But he became more vocal in recent years as he stopped being involved in UMC and especially after China embarked on a sweeping political crackdown in nearby Hong Kong.
At Thursday's press conference he said Taiwan should not be turned into another Hong Kong.
The essence of the Chinese communists are hooligans. They learnt violence and lying from the Soviet Union... The People's Republic of China is a gangster organisation disguised as a government and country.
Tsao previously gave up Taiwanese citizenship for a Singaporean passport.
But last month he told Radio Free Asia he planned to take up Taiwanese citizenship again because he wants to die in his homeland.