Taiwan will not engage in an arms race with China, but will focus instead on making optimal use of its defense budget, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in response to Beijing’s announcement of a double-digit increase in military spending this year.
The National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China set its defense budget for this year at around 601.1 billion yuan (US$91.5 billion), 12.7 percent higher than last year.
China has increased its military budget by double digits annually in recent years, and though it reflects China’s strong economic growth, it has caused alarm among many countries, the ministry said.
Taiwan’s policies are geared toward maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and preventing war, the ministry said, adding that it would use its military budget in an optimal way to safeguard Taiwan’s security.
Meanwhile, in response to local media reports that Taiwan’s defense budget has decreased every year since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took power in May 2008, the ministry yesterday said that Ma has never deviated from his resolve to maintain cross-strait peace and safeguard national security.
Since coming to power, the president has repeatedly encouraged the military to build a “trim and powerful” force strong enough to protect Taiwan and fend off war in the strait, the ministry said.
According to the ministry, based on Washington’s Taiwan Relations Act, the government spent more than US$12 billion purchasing major weapons systems from the US in 2008 and last year, including -Osprey-class coastal minehunters and UH-60 helicopters, as well as PAC-III and Harpoon missiles.
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