TAIPEI – Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te vowed Friday to speed up construction of a multi-layered air defense system as part of efforts to counter “enemy threats.”
Lai’s government has been under US pressure to improve its ability to defend itself against a potential attack by China, which claims the island is part of its territory.
“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,” Lai said during Taiwan’s National Day celebrations.
Lai said Taiwan was determined to “maintain peace through strength” and called on China to “renounce the use of force or coercion to change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.”
Lai’s speech followed a bruising year for the president, a staunch defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty who is loathed by Beijing.
A failed effort this year to unseat dozens of opposition lawmakers left the government weakened, while US tariffs on Taiwanese shipments eroded confidence in the key relationship. AFP
Lai reiterated on Friday plans to ramp up defense spending to more than three percent of gross domestic product next year and five percent by 2030.
“We will advance the integration of high-tech and AI technologies to build a smart defence combat system, maximizing effective deterrence for our asymmetric strategy,” Lai said.
Taiwan will also boost its own defense industry and strengthen domestic supply chains to build a “robust line of defense,” he said.
While Taiwan has increased spending on its military in recent years, it would be massively outgunned in a conflict with China and remains heavily reliant on its biggest arms supplier Washington to deter Beijing from attacking. AFP
