Taiwan to Increase Defense Budget, Improve Domestic Military Production - Administration

BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th August, 2022) The record increase in Taiwan's military budget is due to the government's intention to stimulate domestic production of military equipment, the head of the Taiwanese administration, Tsai Ing-wen, said on Tuesday.

Earlier in the day, media reported that the authorities of Taiwan presented a draft defense budget for next year, which features an increase in military spending amounting to a record 586.3 billion Taiwanese Dollars ($19.2 billion).

"The current increase in the defense budget is aimed at promoting our own construction of ships, own construction of aircraft, as well as improving the quality of weapons, restock ammunition, improve the condition of reserve troops," Tsai said.

She noted that tensions in the Taiwan Strait are growing every day and stressed that "the more provocations come from the enemy, the calmer Taiwan should be."

"We will not give (China's forces) on the other side causes to start conflicts. We will not provoke a military clash... but this does not mean that we cannot show resistance," Tsai added.

Over the past years, the head of the Taiwanese administration has repeatedly stated the need to increase the island's defense capability and increase the military budget.

Despite the record growth, Taiwan's defense budget is still more than 10 times less than China's military spending. According to the budget for 2022, China intends to increase military spending by 7.1% and bring the military budget to 1.45 trillion Yuan ($229.5 billion).

The situation around Taiwan escalated after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island in early August. China condemned Pelosi's trip, which it regarded as a gesture of support for separatism, and launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island. However, several more high-level US delegations visited Taiwan after Pelosi's visit.

China considers Taiwan an unalienable part of its sovereign territory and opposes any official contacts between the island and other countries. The US has been supporting pro-independence forces in Taiwan and selling weapons to the island. Beijing has repeatedly said that the One China principle is a political foundation of China-US relations and that violations by Washington of its own obligations have been jeopardizing cooperation between the two countries, threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.