Its not every day that the Phalanx calls for a non-nuclear nation to develop an indigenous nuclear weapons program, but then again Taiwan is a unique situation. For decades the tyrants in Beijing have threaten to invade Taiwan. The Chinese communists maintain that Taiwan is a renegade province and is the legitimate territory of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Chinese have argued that any move toward “independence” would risk attack from the Chinese People’s “Liberation” Army. To prove their point, and to instill constant fear in the heart of ordinary Taiwanese citizens, the PRC has frequently staged military exercises and missile tests off Taiwan’s coast, in a not so subtle reminder of China’s military prowess.

The situation was so tenuous in the late 1990s, that president Clinton sent a naval squadron to the region to remind China that the US supports the status quo. The status quo, however, only feeds the Chinese threat. The suggestion that Taiwan is not an independent nation is laughable. Taiwan has its own government, economy, military and its own currency, and certainly should be considered a sovereign nation. China has no more claim to Taiwan than does Japan. Only this week, China renewed its threat of military invasion. In a terse statement, released this week, China warned that Taiwanese President Chen was moving toward independence, a move that could bring “disaster” to Taiwan.

For years Taiwan’s vibrant economy and massive foreign direct investment in the PRC shielded the island nation from Chinese threats. The Chinese simply could not afford to risk a devastating war, which would threaten the country’s economic growth. Today, however, China’s economy has long since eclipsed that of Taiwan, no longer is China dependent on Taiwan to foment economic growth, leaving the island nation exceptionally vulnerable to Mussolini-esque politicians in Beijing who seek to draw attention away from the lack of democratic freedom in China, by playing up the imagined threat and national dishonor that would come from an independent Taiwan. Thus, Taiwan must face the realization, that one day soon it may be forced to defend itself, given China’s overwhelming military superiority, the island nation would have no hope of success in a conventional war, thus Taiwan should pursue, clandestinely, the development of nuclear weapons.

According to the parameters of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), five states are allowed to possess nuclear weapons: China, France, the UK, the US and the Soviet Union (now Russia). It is also well known that India, Pakistan and Israel also possess nuclear weapons. Though Taiwan is a signatory to the NPT, China, considers Taiwan a part of China, the Taiwanese should therefore not feel bound by the NPT and should vigorously pursue the development of such weapons as a matter of the utmost secrecy. Once development is complete, Taiwan should make their existence known through extensive underground testing. Such a development would inevitably lead to a war of word with China, but the PRC would be much less inclined to assault a nuclear weapons state with the means to destroy, Shanghai and Beijing within minutes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4757568.stm