TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan will build a new multi-layered air defense system called “T-Domo” to defend itself against enemy threats and increase defense spending, President Lai Ching-te said on Friday, calling on China to renounce the use of force to seize the island.
Democratically governed Taiwan has faced increasing military and political pressure from China, which considers the island its own territory despite strong objections from the Taipei government.
Taiwan is increasing defense spending and modernizing its military, but it faces a China that has a much larger military and is adding new advanced weapons such as stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and a huge array of missiles.
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Lai said in a National Day speech that Taiwan is determined to spend more on defense and would propose a special budget for military spending by the end of the year, showing the government’s determination to protect the island.
“Increased defense spending has a purpose; it is a clear necessity to combat enemy threats and a driving force for the development of our defense industries,” he said.
“We will accelerate the construction of the T-Domo, establish a rigorous air defense system in Taiwan with multi-layer defense, high-level detection and effective interception, and weave a security network for Taiwan to protect the lives and property of citizens,” Lai declared, to applause from the crowd.
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He did not elaborate on “T-Domo” in his first public mention of the system. Reuters reported on Thursday that he would unveil the “T-Dome,” which one source said will be similar to Israel’s Iron Dome.
In response to the speech, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that “seeking independence by force” would only drag Taiwan into conflict.
“He sells the separatist fallacy of Taiwan independence,” Guo told reporters in Beijing. “This once again exposes his stubborn nature as a troublemaker, creator of danger and creator of war.”
China, which held war games around the island in response to his speech last year, says Lai is a “separatist” and has rejected his offers for talks.
(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard; additional reporting by Joe Cash and Liz Lee in Beijing)
