"Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te has spent his first year in office warning that time is running out to prepare for a possible conflict with China. In the past two months alone, he has proposed a sweeping special defense budget and backed a landmark $11 billion U.S. weapons purchase meant to strengthen the island's deterrence. But his commitments are colliding with Taiwan's domestic political reality."
"The plan would direct roughly $40 billion toward new missile defenses, long-range precision weapons and unmanned systems over the coming eight years. The standoff has turned into one of the most consequential political fights of Lai's presidency, with implications not only for Taiwan's security, but also for its standing with the Trump administration, which is pushing Taipei to spend a much greater share of its GDP on defense."
President Lai Ching-te has warned that time is running out to prepare for a possible conflict with China and has proposed a sweeping special defense budget and a landmark $11 billion U.S. weapons purchase to strengthen deterrence. The special budget would allocate roughly $40 billion toward missile defenses, long-range precision weapons and unmanned systems over eight years. Opposition parties that control the legislature, which favor closer ties with China, have repeatedly blocked the bill at least eight times since Dec. 2. The American Institute in Taiwan supports the special budget and Lai's goal to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2030; Taiwan spent just under 2.4% last year.
Read at www.npr.org
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