Taiwan has presented an additional item for Defense of 40 billion dollars intended mainly to purchase weapons from USA. Its president has justified it, Lai ching-teto protect itself from the threat of that Chinese invasion that the world has been announcing for half a century and which now, in his opinion, “has intensified.” Time will tell; For now, the only certainty is the rampant militarist spiral that fattens the coffers of American industry and drains the resources that the island needs.
That game will raise the defense spending next year until 3,3% and Taipei plans to reach 5% in 2030. It will still be far from the 10% that Washington requires, a level with few precedents. Only Ukraine would surpass it (34%), defending itself from an invasion, and it would remain above its aggressor, Russia (7%), despite its increases. The United States is very far behind, with 3.4%. The context, Lai believes, explains the bill. “There is no room to give in national securityhistory shows that this only leads to war and slavery,” he stated this Wednesday.
“This is not an ideological issue, it is not a debate about unification versus independence, but the fight to defend democratic Taiwan and reject the idea of becoming China’s Taiwan,” he added. Threats from the opposite shore of the Strait of Formosa “have intensified” and preparations for the invasion are accelerating, he continued. The leader of the Democratic Progressive Party, of pro-independence origin, has cited the military harassmentthe international pressurethe propagandahe espionage and the infiltrations in your country. None of that is a lie, but it’s not new either.
Tariff negotiation
Lai has denied that the item, intended for “important” purchases of American weapons, is linked to the tariff negotiations con Donald Trump. Its de facto ambassador on the island, Raymond Greene, has stressed his support for “rapid acquisitions of decisive asymmetric military capabilities.” They represent, in his opinion, “a great step towards maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait by increasing deterrence.”
From Beijing they have seen it differently. “They are squandering funds that they could use to improve the quality of life of their people and develop the economy on arms purchases to curry favor with external powers. That will only lead to disaster,” said Peng Qingen of the Taiwan Affairs Office.
Taipei navigates rough seas. Added to the Chinese pressures, guaranteed when the independentists govern, is Washington’s uncertainty. Trump is less enthusiastic about the island than Joe Biden. He has accused her without evidence of stealing from the pharmaceutical industry. semiconductors to the United States and drags his feet when asked if he will defend it from a Chinese invasion. In exchange, he offers him his catalog of weapons. Taiwanese concern is understandable, especially when Trump boasts of his friendship with Xi Jinping and has already confirmed two presidential summits for next year, but Lai once again described an ironclad alliance this Wednesday. “Recently, before his trip to Asia, President Trump emphasized that Taiwan is Taiwan and said that he personally respects Taiwan. Those two short statements say it all,” he said.
Taiwan has returned to the global front pages after the Japanese Prime Minister’s commitment, Sanae Takaichito defend it if it is attacked by China. Takaichi, who has gone further than Trump, has generated a storm with Beijing that is difficult to resolve. Xi called Trump this week to remind him that the island’s return to China is part of the world agreed upon after the defeat of fascism in the Second World War. In that war, he emphasized, Americans and Chinese fought shoulder to shoulder. Trump telephoned Takaichi hours later to update him on the conversation with Xi. The content has not been revealed and it is likely that the slap on the wrist that some Chinese analysts have wanted to see is a very optimistic interpretation. But the succession of Beijing-Washington-Tokyo calls underlines the delicate situation of Taiwan in an increasingly turbulent and polarized world.
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