Taiwan defence budget plan shows resolve amid China aggression

Taiwan’s proposal for a record-high defence budget for next year sends a clear message that it is not standing down amid increased aggression from Beijing, analysts say.

- Yip Wai Yee

The island plans to increase defence spending to NT$586.3 billion (S$27 billion), a 14 per cent jump year on year.

This comes after China conducted massive war games which affected flights and shipping to Taiwan, following United States House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei earlier this month.

“The Tsai administration had to show resolve in the face of China continuously conducting drills and provocations in the Taiwan Strait,” Ms Larissa Stunkel, an Asia studies expert at the Institute for Security and Development Policy, told The Straits Times.

“Nancy Pelosi’s visit has arguably exacerbated tensions and then there’s the stone-throwing video that surfaced.”

The short clip shows Taiwanese soldiers throwing stones at a Chinese drone that got near their guard post near the coast.

Taiwan’s defence ministry on Wednesday said it would deploy drone defence systems on offshore islands next year.