Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has vowed to speed up the construction of a multi-layered air defense system — dubbed “T-Dome” — as part of efforts to counter the rising threats from China.
“We will accelerate our building of the T-Dome, establish a rigorous air defense system in Taiwan with multi-layered defense, high-level detection, and effective interception, and weave a safety net for Taiwan to protect the lives and property of citizens,” Lai said in an address during Taiwan’s National Day celebrations.
Taiwan marks national day amid mounting pressure from China
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Taiwan’s defense game plan
Lai reiterated plans to strengthen the self-ruled island’s defense capabilities, adding that a special defense budget would be proposed by the end of 2025.
He said defense spending will be ramped up to over 3% of Taiwan’s gross domestic product next year and 5% by 2030.
“The increase in defense spending has a purpose; it is a clear necessity to counter enemy threats and a driving force for developing our defense industries,” he said.
Lai said his country will boost its own defense industry and bolster domestic supply chains to build a “robust line of defence.”
Taiwan completes drills amid heightened tensions with China
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Lai urges China to give up coercion
On Friday, the Taiwanese president called on Beijing to “renounce the use of force or coercion to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait” and help maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
He added that Taiwan was determined to “maintain peace through strength”
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has repeatedly threatened to annex it.
Beijing said Friday that Taiwan independence activities represented the biggest threat to peace across the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese Foreign Ministry added that seeking independence by force would drag the island into conflict.
Taiwan’s National Day is celebrated on the anniversary of a 1911 uprising that unseated China’s last imperial dynasty and established the Republic of China.
The Republican government lost a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists and fled to Taiwan in 1949. The Republic of China continues to be the island’s formal name.
Edited by: Sean Sinico