Taiwan has announced a substantial increase in its defense budget, underscoring President Lai Ching-te’s firm resolve to protect the island’s sovereignty against intensifying military and political pressure from Beijing.
The additional defense budget amounts to approximately $38.5 billion (1.25 trillion New Taiwan Dollars), a move Taiwan’s president framed as an unwavering commitment to self-protection. President Lai stressed the nation’s security “leaves no room for compromise.”
He further declared that “national sovereignty and core values of freedom and democracy are the true foundation of our country.” This significant spending boost directly confronts China’s escalating military and political assertions over Taiwan.
Taipei aims to counter Beijing’s numerically superior forces by transforming its military through an “asymmetric warfare” strategy. This approach focuses on making Taiwan’s defense forces more agile and capable of precise responses.
President Lai first detailed the spending plan in a Washington Post op-ed published on November 25. He characterized the island’s situation as a “struggle between defending democratic Taiwan and refusing to surrender to become ‘Chinese Taiwan’.”
He clarified this is not merely an ideological battle or a dispute over “unification versus independence.” China has steadily intensified its pressure on Taiwan over the past five years.
Official government figures project Taiwan’s defense expenditure will reach approximately $29.24 billion (949.5 billion New Taiwan Dollars) by 2026. This would represent 3.32% of its gross domestic product, marking the first time the budget has surpassed 3% since 2009.
Raymond Greene, the top U.S. diplomat in Taipei, endorsed the initiative. He called the announcement “a significant step in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait by strengthening deterrence.”
Conversely, Peng Qing’en, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, criticized the move. He accused Taiwan of allowing “external forces” to dictate its decisions.
Peng stated that Taiwan is “spending money that could be used to improve people’s livelihoods and develop the economy on buying weapons and appeasing external powers.” He warned this path “will only lead Taiwan to disaster.”
Despite lacking formal diplomatic relations with Taipei, U.S. law mandates providing Taiwan with the means to defend itself. President Lai affirmed Taiwan’s relationship with the United States as “rock solid.”
He referenced a past statement by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who said “Taiwan is Taiwan,” as evidence of U.S. respect for the island. Since Trump took office, the U.S. has approved one new arms sale to Taiwan, a $330 million package for fighter jets and other aircraft parts, announced in November.
President Lai consistently maintains that only the people of Taiwan can determine their future. This stance persists even as Beijing rejects his repeated offers for dialogue and labels him a “separatist.”