Amid rising tensions with China, Taiwan announced a record defense budget, preparations to purchase major weapons from America.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-tey said in an article in the Washington Post that Taiwan will present a supplementary defense budget of $40 billion to show its determination to defend itself, which includes a plan to buy “major” new weapons from the US. The move comes at a time when China has increased military and political pressure over the past five years to prove its claims, which Taipei flatly rejects. China considers democratically governed Taiwan as its territory. However, Taiwan also faces demands from Washington to spend more on its defense, just as the United States puts pressure on Europe. Lai said in August that he expected defense spending to reach 5% of gross domestic product by 2030. “This landmark package will not only fund major new arms purchases from the United States, but will also greatly enhance Taiwan’s diverse capabilities,” Lai Ching-tey wrote in an article for the Washington Post. He added: “By doing so, we aim to strengthen deterrence by adding more cost and uncertainty to Beijing’s decision-making about the use of force.” Why the China-Taiwan Conflict? China and Taiwan have a difficult and contentious relationship, which began after the Chinese Civil War, which ended with the defeat of the Nationalist government by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1949. The Nationalist government, led by Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan, where it continued to rule and created the Republic of China (ROC). On the other hand, the CPC created the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland. Since then, the political systems of the PRC and ROC have remained very different and have taken very different paths in terms of economic development. The PRC has become a major world power, with a communist one-party system and a rapidly growing economy. Taiwan, on the other hand, has become a democratic, free-market society. In recent years, tensions between China and Taiwan have risen again as Beijing has stepped up efforts to assert its sovereignty over the island. These include increased military activity in the Taiwan Strait, efforts to isolate Taiwan diplomatically, and economic pressure on Taiwanese businesses. Share this story Tags