대만, 내년 국방 지출 18% 늘려 첫 1조대만달러 돌파…예산의 29% 육박

Taiwan has set a record by allocating over $1 trillion to its defense sector in next year's budget, marking an 18% increase from the previous year. This represents 29% of Taiwan's total annual budget, totaling $3.93 trillion. According to a joint report by Taiwan's Free Press and Hong Kong South China Morning Post, the government fixed the 2027 defense-related budget at $1.225 trillion, which is 18.2% higher than the current year's budget.

This represents 28.6% of the overall budget of $3.9266 trillion. The defense budget consists of regular and special allocations, including expenses for the Ministry of National Defense, special allocations for veterans' welfare, and repatriation-related expenses. The defense spending includes investments in weapons and equipment, which increased by $97.5 billion to $259.1 billion, and maintenance and operational costs, up by $25.7 billion to $224.7 billion.

The Ministry of National Defense outlined key projects for next year, including the construction of Taiwan's multi-layered air defense system 'Taiwan Dome', strengthening of drone capabilities, enhancing maritime defense, and the 'Ship-building' policy. Significant funds are also expected to be directed towards asymmetric capabilities such as drones, missiles, and the US-made HIMARS system.

The increase in defense spending is seen as an effort to quickly improve Taiwan's defensive capabilities in the face of China's expanding military activities and military exercises in the region. Taiwan's increased defense budget is viewed as a response to the growing threat from China. President Tsai Ing-wen has previously stated her goal of increasing Taiwan's overall defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2030.

The approval of the defense budget now depends on the approval by the opposition party in the Legislative Yuan, which will review the budget proposal in late May.