China: Taiwan will wohl Wehretat um 16 Prozent erhöhen
Aufgrund der Spannung mit dem Nachbarn China will Taiwan künftig laut einem Bericht deutlich mehr Geld fürs Militär ausgeben. Damit würde Taiwan auf eine Forderung aus den USA reagieren.
Taiwan plans to significantly increase its defense spending, with an expected rise of 16% by 2027, according to the Central News Agency. This would make Taiwan's defense budget surpass the billion-dollar mark for the first time, amounting to approximately 27 billion euros. China views Taiwan as its territory and regularly threatens to invade, while Taiwan's government staunchly rejects these claims.
The move also responds to US demands, as Taiwan's closest international ally and weapons supplier pushes for greater defense spending. The new budget, to be presented on August 20th, is projected to account for more than three percent of Taiwan's gross domestic product. President Lai Ching-te's government has made military modernization a central political goal, including advancing the development of its own submarines.
China, in response, is massively modernizing its armed forces, with its air force and navy reportedly flying near Taiwan's airspace almost daily. Beijing announced a 7% increase in its defense budget to around 245 billion euros in March, coinciding with the annual military exercise "Han Kuang." President Lai emphasized during a visit to the exercises that each maneuver is a valuable experience that strengthens the military's confidence, stating that "every solid preparation in peaceful times ensures greater stability and strength for our nation."
On his Facebook page, Lai's words were quoted. Beijing refuses to engage in talks with Lai, referring to him as a "separatist."
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
