Amid US concern over a growing military imbalance between Taiwan and China, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has promised to boost the nation’s defense budget by at least 2 percent annually, National Security Council (NSC) Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday.
The 2 percent increase will be in line with the projected growth of the nation’s economy, the president said, adding that the defense budget might even be increased by 3 percent if the need arises, Tsai Ming-yen said.
A special reserve fund is also to be allocated for major military procurements, Tsai Ming-yen told reporters, citing the president, who is on the first leg of a three-nation visit to allies in the Pacific.
Photo: CNA
He said Tsai Ing-wen made the pledge on Saturday during a meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii, with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman James Moriarty after AIT officials urged her to heed the US’ concerns about Taiwan’s comparatively small defense budget.
Noting that China’s military spending has been seeing double-digit growth each year, Moriarty told Tsai Ing-wen that such a trend could result in an even greater imbalance in military strength across the Taiwan Strait, the NSC boss said.
The president told Moriarty that Taiwan was drawing up a comprehensive plan to meet its long and short-term military needs, particularly to strengthen its defense capabilities, Tsai Ming-yen said.
Taiwan’s military procurement budget for next year, which has already been approved, is NT$83.3 billion (US$2.76 billion), lower than this year’s NT$88 billion, according to a China Times report.
Speaking later at a seminar at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Tsai Ing-wen said she welcomed the US’ commitment to peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region.
Taiwan can see this commitment as US President Donald Trump is about to visit five nations in the region starting on Friday, she said.
The US must secure strong and stable partnerships with its allies and friends in the Asia-Pacific region, including Taiwan, to maintain peace and security in the region, she said.
She also expressed appreciation for the US’ arrangements for her stopovers in Honolulu, and said relations between Taiwan and the US have been getting increasingly better, adding Taiwan’s ties with the US have never been stronger and that the partnership was important to maintain peace in Asia.
Her visit to the three diplomatic allies was in line with the wish of Taiwanese to reach out to the world, she said, and she hoped to forge a solid cooperative partnership with Taiwan’s friends in the Pacific to create peace and prosperity in the region.
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