Taiwan leader promises to raise defence spending as she praises ‘unprecedented’ friendship with United States

Taiwan will increase its future defence spending by two per cent a year, President Tsai Ing-wen said during a visit to Hawaii where the United States expressed concern over a possible military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese media reported on Monday.

In the event that Taiwan purchases arms from a foreign military, the island’s defence spending could increase as much as three per cent a year, and could possibly increase further using a special budget if “significant purchase cases” are made, Tsai said in remarks carried by official media.

Tsai made the comments in response to US concerns about a possible military imbalance in the Taiwan Strait expressed by Ambassador James Moriarty during a meeting. Tsai did not elaborate on when the increased defence spending would start.

Tsai’s comments were reflected by National Security Council deputy secretary general Tsai Ming-yen, who recounted to official media the conversation between Tsai and Moriarty, who is chairman of the US Mission in Taiwan, about expanding Taiwan’s national defence policy.

Moriarty had expressed concern about China’s double-digit growth in defence investments in the past few years, and that Taiwan would need to address a possible military imbalance over the Taiwan Strait, deputy secretary general Tsai said.