The US$8 billion defence plan that Taiwan hopes will deter mainland China
- The five-year spending programme will go towards a range of missiles and naval projects to counter the PLA’s growing strength
- It is on top of the a record defence budget approved by the island this year
Military observers said the weapons, to be built by the self-ruled island, included missiles capable of striking coastal and inland mainland China.
The island’s lawmaking body approved the NT$237 billion, five-year spending plan on Tuesday as a special military budget that would need to be raised through government borrowing, according to the public information released by the legislature.
The special funds would be used to mass-produce precision and long-range missiles as well as naval ships to bolster the island’s sea and air defences, according to a defence ministry budget report.
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Taiwan holds urban, aerial combat drills amid threats of invasion by mainland China
Citing growing military intimidation from Beijing, which has staged exercises nearby and sent warplanes to Taiwan’s air defence identification zone almost daily, the report said it was necessary for Taiwan to fortify its defences, especially given warnings from the outside world that the People’s Liberation Army could attack the island this decade.