Low spending on national defense as well as cuts in projected weapons acquisition, are signs that the armed forces are moving away from a combat-oriented to a relief-oriented military role and that detente in the Taiwan Strait is “unilateral,” critics of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration have said.
During the presidential campaign in 2008, Ma vowed to bring spending on national defense to 3 percent of GDP, a pledge that he has not met in his four years in office. The proposed national defense budget for next year has been set at NT$314.15 billion (US$10.59 billion), lower than the NT$317.2 billion for this year.
China, meanwhile, has increased its military spending by double digits for most of the past decade, opposition lawmakers said, adding that this highlighted ignorance about the true nature of the Chinese threat on the part of the Ma administration.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
This year, China’s declared military budget will rise 11.2 percent to 670.27 billion yuan (US$106.41 billion), a figure that the Pentagon and military analysts argue does not reveal actual levels.
Beyond a failure to meet the target defense spending, appropriations for next year also indicate a shift away from combat readiness to operations other than war, predominantly relief operations, reflecting Ma’s 2009 announcement that natural catastrophes were now Taiwan’s “No. 1 enemy.”
The Chinese-language United Daily News reported on Sunday that initial plans by the army to procure 57 domestically produced Ray Ting-2000 (“Thunder 2000”) multiple rocket launchers for a total of NT$14.45 billion had been slashed by one-quarter in next year’s budget. According to the report, the Ministry of National Defense ordered in July last year that production be dropped to 43 launch vehicles, which are to be divided into three battalions. The budget for the acquisition has reportedly been cut to NT$13.22 billion.
Meanwhile, the ministry has set aside NT$860 million for eight new projects, of which more than half are to meet non-combat needs. Among the earmarked funds, NT$430 million has been set aside to purchase 73 excavators and loaders and NT$45 million to buy 128 rubber rafts.
The army said the purchases were to “strengthen disaster prevention and rescue capabilities and to expand the army’s capability to speedily repair roads and dredge waterways and reservoirs.”
Opposition lawmakers commenting on next year’s defense budget said appropriations failed to ensure the nation had the means to guarantee its defenses.
“The Ma administration has continually scaled back its military spending even though China’s threat to Taiwan has continued to rise over the past few years,” Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) was quoted as saying at the weekend.
Despite the relative calm in the Taiwan Strait since Ma’s election, Hsiao said the lack of reciprocity was impossible to ignore.
“The detente is just unilateral,” she said, pointing to the 1,600 ballistic and cruise missiles China has aimed at Taiwan — 200 more than last year, according to a report by the ministry on the People’s Liberation Army that was submitted to the legislature last week.
Additional reporting by AFP and Jake Chung
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or