Taiwan must pass defense budgetBy Yuichiro Kakutani, Allen Zhang 張安倫For years, the US has been urging Taiwan to increase defense spending amid mounting threats from an increasingly capable China hell-bent on “unification.” Nevertheless, this month Taiwanese legislators moved to block a critical increase in the defense budget. In November last year, President William Lai (賴清德) was applauded for announcing a special defense budget of US$40 billion. Lai correctly understands this dynamic, which is why he noted earlier this month that a failure to pass his special defense budget “could lead the international community to misunderstand Taiwan’s determination to defend itself.” Given the stakes, the Legislative Yuan should reconsider and pass the full defense budget. South Korea’s proposed defense budget is 7.5 percent higher than last year’s, while the Philippines continued to boost its defense capabilities. The US government has emphasized the importance of passing the special defense budget for months.

Source: Taipei Times February 07, 2026 17:29 UTC