President William Lai (賴清德) today reiterated that he hoped Taiwan’s defense spending would reach 5 percent of GDP before 2030 when he met with guests taking part in this year’s Taipei Security Dialogue.
Taiwan is to continue to strengthen its defense capabilities, proactively develop its asymmetric warfare capacity and build an intelligent defense combat system, Lai said.
Taiwan is also to promote a more competitive national defense industry and strengthen whole-society resilience, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
This is to ensure Taiwan can safeguard its democratic values and become a security cooperation partner trusted by its allies to jointly maintain regional peace and stability, demonstrating the nation’s firm commitment to self-defense and fulfilling its responsibility to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, he said.
He made the remarks during his meeting with former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison and other guests from the US, the UK, Germany, Australia, Denmark and Latvia, accompanied by National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and Institute for National Defense and Security Research chairman Huo Shou-ye (霍守業).
Global order faces severe challenges due to the continuous expansion of authoritarianism and rapid technological development, testing the unity and responsiveness of the democratic camp, he said.
The Taipei Security Dialogue is "exceptionally important," he said.
The year's theme, "Integrated Deterrence: Maintaining Indo-Pacific Peace through Strength," focused on the international situation, the impact of emerging technology, strengthening social resilience and Taiwan's strategic role, he said.
It is not just an academic exchange but a crucial opportunity for like-minded nations to collaborate on challenges and pursue peace, he said.
China poses the greatest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and the Asia-Pacific region, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday during his closing speech at the Taipei Security Dialogue.
China's political development has shown three extreme trends since Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) took power, Chiu said.
First, China is shifting to highly centralized leadership, or even one-man rule, from collective leadership, increasing the risk of erroneous policy-making, he said.
Second, China is pursuing “fanatic nationalism,” military hegemony, “wolf-warrior diplomacy” and the militarization of the South China Sea, while suppressing democracy in Hong Kong, increasing pressure on Taiwan and expanding its global influence through its Belt and Road Initiative, he said.
Third, Xi is seeking to create legitimacy for his prolonged tenure by setting “unifying with Taiwan” and “replacing the US” as goals for the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” he said.
China has become a “new totalitarian” state, applying pressure on Taiwan through military threats, diplomatic isolation, economic coercion, social infiltration, legal warfare and cognitive warfare, he said.
China poses the largest threat to the status quo of peace and stability in cross-strait and the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
"Peace in the Taiwan Strait is a key to maintaining world security and prosperity," he said.
Taiwan is at the core of the first island chain, and 50 percent of the world's container ships must sail through the Taiwan Strait, making it vital for maintaining a peaceful and prosperous international order, he said.
Taiwan is also a global high-tech center, manufacturing 90 percent of the world's advanced computer chips, making it an indispensable partner in the high-tech supply chain, he said.
Taiwan is a mature and free democracy that can inspire people in China who share the same cultural and linguistic background to pursue freedom and a better life, he said.
Maintaining security and peace in the Taiwan Strait is of vital interest to every country, he said.
A Taiwan contingency is a global contingency, he said.
The US, Japan, the EU, the UK, Canada and Australia have expressed their concern for peace and stability in the Strait, he said.
A consensus has been reached among the international community on how to work together to curb China's expansionist ambitions and preserve cross-strait and regional peace and prosperity, he said.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government said yesterday that Lai is "prostituting" himself to foreigners to try and win their favor but his schemes are doomed to fail after he gave an interview lauding US President Donald Trump.
In an interview released this week with a conservative US radio show and podcast, Lai said Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize if he could convince Xi to abandon the use of force against Taiwan.
Trump and Xi are expected to meet this month at a regional summit in South Korea.
Responding to the interview, where Lai also talked about China's military threats and increased defense spending, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said Lai was "spouting nonsense," showing his true nature as a manufacturer of crises and destroyer of peace.
Since taking office last year, Lai has been "rampantly propagating separatist fallacies," it said.
Using unusually strong wording, the statement added: "He has engaged in unprincipled foreign pandering and bottomless selling out of Taiwan, squandering the flesh and blood of the people, prostituting himself and throwing in his lot with foreign forces."
The statement also came just two days before Lai gives his key national day speech tomorrow.
There was no immediate response from Taiwan's government.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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