Taiwan on Thursday proposed an initiative to allocate a record T$586.3 billion ($19.41 billion) to its defence budget for next year, days after China staged unprecedented military drills in its surrounding areas.
The figure is a 13.9% year-on-year increase and includes an additional T$108.3 billion ($3.58 billion) dedicated to the purchase of fighter jets and other equipment, as well as other “special funds” for the Ministry of Defence (MoD). The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics did not provide a breakdown of how the rest of the budget would be spent.
The significant increase now awaits the approval of the self-governing island’s parliament and marks the sixth consecutive year of growth in defence spending since 2017.
Commenting on the milestone, Assistant Professor Benjamin Ho from the China Programme at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told Channel News Asia that the increase is “not surprising at all.” “Previous limitations on the expansion of military spending for Taiwan had to do with scepticism toward the immediacy of the military threat from the mainland,” he said. However, he stated that China’s “military threats have vastly reduced such apprehensions.”
A pleasure to host experts from the @HooverInst to discuss #Taiwan's security & the stability of the Indo-Pacific. We welcome academic exchanges with the #US, which promote awareness & understanding of our countries' shared values & interests in the region. pic.twitter.com/vhXVW8Kdwd
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) August 23, 2022
Taiwan’s firm resolve to counter growing threats from China was also reflected in recent comments by President T sai Ing-wen,when she hosted a delegation from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution.
Referring to the 1958 battle between Taiwan and China, Tsai said that Taiwanese soldiers had “operated in solidarity and safeguarded Taiwan, so that we have [a] democratic Taiwan today.” “That battle to protect our homeland showed the world that no threat of any kind could shake the Taiwanese people’s resolve to defend their nation, not in the past, not now and not in the future,” she declared. Tsai further added: “We too will show the world that the people of Taiwan have both the resolve and confidence to safeguard peace, security, freedom and prosperity for ourselves.”
She further warned: “A heavy price will be paid for invading Taiwan or attempting to invade Taiwan, and it will be strongly condemned by the international community.”
Taiwan’s expanded defence budget and the president’s comments come weeks after China, which considers the island to be part of its own territory, staged military drills in the waters and airspace around Taiwan in retaliation to the United States (US) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island last month.
Our military is resolved to defend our country, our sovereignty & our democratic way of life. They stand ready & remain calm in the face of all challenges. Thank you to our military for protecting the people of #Taiwan & all we stand for.
— 蔡英文 Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) August 10, 2022
🎥 @MoNDefense pic.twitter.com/LEZemBNdQL
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said that only hours after Pelosi’s departure from Taipei, China sent more than 20 fighter jets across the median line in the Taiwan Strait. The median line marks the midway point between the mainland and the island, which China claims it does not recognise but has usually respected. 22 Chinese warplanes also breached the island’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), all of which crossed the strait median line.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said the drills aimed to send “a warning to the perpetrator” and punish the “Taiwan independence” forces. “We will firmly safeguard China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, resolutely stop the US’s attempt to play the “Taiwan card” to contain China, and shatter the Taiwan authorities’ wishful thinking to pursue “Taiwan independence” by soliciting the support of the US,” Wang stressed.
China is currently staging a two-day live-fire drill off the coast of Fujian Province across from Taiwan that is scheduled to end on Saturday.