Critics have lashed out at President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) over comments he made about bolstering the nation’s combat abilities, saying that he has slashed military budgets, which have fallen below his election promise of at least 3 percent of GDP.
Ma on Wednesday touted improved defense capabilities, urging Taiwanese to be vigilant against the potential breakout of hostilities because China has not renounced its use of force against the nation.
However, one military expert said Ma is playing charades in an attempt to deceive the public once again.
Since the beginning of his presidency, the military budget has seen a downward trend, falling below 2.5 percent of GDP, said the expert, who declined to be named.
Data and reports from Office of the President and the National Development Council show that in 2009 — the first full year of Ma’s administration — the military budget was 3 percent of GDP, but dropped to 2.98 percent in 2010, the defense expert said.
It was slashed to 2.69 percent of GDP in 2011, then steadied at 2.7 percent in 2012 and 2013, before dropping to 2.48 percent last year, the expert said.
The expert said Ma had not fulfilled his election promise to hold the military budget at 3 percent of GDP.
There is a serious credibility gap there, because Ma has continued talking publicly, including in international dealings, about the military threat posed by China, the expert added.
The Ministry of National Defense said in a press release that if the Executive Yuan agrees to major arms procurements in the future, the government can allocate secondary reserve funds or utilize special program funds to help achieve military plans and policies.
The statement said that the military budget is not at 3 percent of GDP, adding however that the nation is ready and able to defend itself amid troop readjustment programs.
“The military will proactively improve the defense and combat capabilities of the nation’s troops and will submit requests for sufficient funding,” the statement said. “The military seeks the support of all Taiwanese, so together we can ensure the nation’s security.”
Ma was inspecting computer-assisted war games on Wednesday at the ministry command center in Taipei, where the simulated military exercises, which began on Monday, are to conclude today.
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
RSS