Taiwan military resumes 'anti-communist' classes for graduates

Taiwan's military has resumed "anti-communist" patriotic classes for its graduates after a quarter-century gap, the defence ministry said on Sunday, citing a rising threat from ​China as a senior official reported another rise in Chinese naval ‌activity.

During the Cold War, campaigns in Taiwan warning against the dangers of the "communist bandits" in China, whose government views the island as its own territory, were widespread.

But the formal "anti-communist patriotic ​education" for military graduates ended in 2002, being renamed "patriotic education".

Taiwan's defence ministry ​said in a statement that the classes for its military academy ⁠graduates had been restored due to rising military and infiltration danger from China.

"It ​is necessary for them to clearly understand national security threats and recognise the ​military mission of 'why we fight, and for whom we fight'," the statement said.

China's defence ministry did not respond to a request for comment outside office hours. China has never renounced the ​use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

Officials from departments including the ​China-policy-making Mainland Affairs Council, the National Security Council, the Ministry of Justice and top government think ‌tank ⁠Academia Sinica will offer lectures to the graduates, Taiwan's defence ministry said.

"The aim is to establish among graduates a clear awareness of friend and foe," it added.

As of Friday, Taiwan was tracking a record ​of more than 110 ​Chinese military and ⁠Coast Guard ships up and down the first island chain, Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council, posted on ​X late on Saturday.

On Saturday, China's Coast Guard launched a ⁠new ​patrol off Taiwan's east coast, drawing a sharp response ​from Taipei, which says Beijing has no jurisdiction in those waters. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.

-Reuters