Taiwan Leader Calls for Record Defense Spending to Deter Potential Conflict

• China claims Taiwan as its territory and poses a constant threat.
• The move is not to provoke but to safeguard Taiwan’s 23 million people.

Updated 3 min 12 sec ago

October 10, 2026 09:43

TAIPEI: Taiwan aims to “deter war” by increasing its defense spending, the democratic island’s leader said Saturday, as China uses military pressure to assert its territorial claims.

“Our aim by increasing investment in national defense is not to provoke, rather, it is to deter war,” President Lai Ching-te declared during his National Day address.

Successive governments have accelerated defense modernization to mitigate invasion risks and demonstrate resilience to the United States. Lai’s administration allocated a historic NT$1.1 trillion ($34.5 billion) budget for 2027—exceeding three percent of GDP—to bolster Taiwan’s armed forces.

“We do not seek hegemony, nor do we seek to dominate others,” Lai stated before the presidential office crowd, emphasizing that “peace cannot rely solely on wishes, and tolerance may become a pretext for aggression.” The administration warned that Beijing continues “applying pressure through military and grey‑zone operations aiming to reshape the Taiwan Strait.”

Viceroyalty fighter jets and Chinook helicopters bearing large Taiwan banners soared above the capital prior to the speech. The day also marks the 115th anniversary of the Qing dynasty’s fall and the Republic of China’s establishment, tracing contemporary tensions to the 1949 civil war when Chiang Kai‑shek fled to the island after defeat by Mao Zedong’s communists.

Washington remains Taiwan’s premier security ally despite formal diplomatic ties shifted to Beijing decades ago. Recent U.S. rhetoric concerning arms sales—including plans for $14 billion worth of systems such as the PATRIOT air‑defense network—has raised global concern. Meanwhile, Taipei awaits final congressional approval and funding authorization for the forthcoming equipment procurement.

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