Radio Taiwan International
Date: 2018-08-07

The defense ministry said Tuesday that a planned increase in next year’s defense budget shows the government’s resolve to upgrade the nation’s armed forces. That’s after an editorial on the website of China’s Global Times mocked the move as insignificant.

President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday announced an increase of NT$18.3 billion (US$600 million) to next year’s defense budget. The Global Times, an outlet run by the Communist Party of China, said China’s military spending exceeds Taiwan’s dozens of times over. It called Tsai’s announcement a placebo that would not affect the balance of military power across the Taiwan Strait.

The defense ministry rejected these comments and said the spending would contribute to maintaining security in the Taiwan Strait and regional peace. It stressed that Taiwan relies on a strategy of deterrence and asymmetrical warfare faced with the much larger size of China’s armed forces. Taiwan is also seeking to develop its own defensive weapons systems instead of relying on the United States for arms sales.
[FULL  STORY]