TAIWAN TO MASSIVELY HIKE 2026 DEFENCE BUDGET- Premier Cho Jung-tai says it would surpass 3% of gross domestic product
Taiwan plans to boost defence spending by a fifth next year, surpassing 3% of gross domestic product, Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai told reporters at a news conference on Thursday (August 21).
The island is planning to invest billions in new equipment to better face down China and convince the United States it takes seriously calls to bolster its military.
The move comes as China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past five years to assert its claims, which Taipei strongly rejects.
Taiwan’s government has made military modernisation a key policy platform and has repeatedly pledged to spend more on its defences, given the rising threat from China, including developing made-in-Taiwan submarines.
