Taiwan reaffirms its intention to increase military budget amid Chinese maneuvers

Taiwan must improve its defensive capabilities in the face of military pressure from China, and “steadily raise the cost of an aggression” against the island, Taiwanese President William Lai said on Monday, after Beijing launched a new round of military maneuvers around this territory. In a message posted via Facebook, Lai recalled that most democratic countries are increasing their defense budget and that, in this context, Taiwan “cannot stand aside”. “Taiwan must not only fulfill its responsibility to protect its own security, but also assumes the responsibility of safeguarding peace and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region,” said the island’s leader.

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“Peace, without a doubt, is priceless; war has no winners, but peace can only be achieved by relying on strength,” added Lai, who last month proposed a special defense budget of nearly 40 billion U.S. dollars for the period 2026/2033, which, for the moment, has not obtained the approval of the local Parliament. These statements occurred on the same day that China announced the carrying out of large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, with the aim of applying a “severe punishment” to the Taiwanese “separatist forces.” The maneuvers, called ‘Justice Mission-2025’ and which will last until Tuesday, take place after a new escalation of tensions in the Strait, in a context marked by the reinforcement of US military support for Taipei and recent visits to the island by Japanese politicians. Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949 under the umbrella of the Republic of China and has armed forces and a political, economic and social system different from that of the People’s Republic of China, standing out as one of the most advanced democracies in Asia. However, Beijing has always viewed the island as an “inalienable part” of its territory and in recent years has redoubled its pressure campaign against it to achieve “national reunification”, a key element in President Xi Jinping’s long-term goal of achieving the “rejuvenation” of the Chinese nation.