Taiwanese major opposition party leader, Cheng Li-wun, said on Saturday that Taipei cannot enter a senseless arms race with China while expanding its defence budget despite a limited GDP.
The opposition Kuomintang party (KMT), which controls parliament as well as the government’s purse on expenses, with the assistance of the Taiwan People's Party, having close ties with China, has criticised the move.
The announcement came a day after Taiwan’s president Lai Ching-te rejected China’s one nation, two systems policy, saying Taiwan will have to spend to bolster its defences against China.
Cheng, while criticising Lai’s announcement of increasing the defence spending to five per cent by 2030, said Taiwan cannot go beyond three per cent defence spending, let alone scale up to five per cent.
The president, according to opposition parties, has come under US pressure to boost defence spending to fend off a possible Chinese invasion. China has claimed that Taiwan remains its integral part under the one-China policy and threatened to use military force to bring the island under Beijing’s control.
The US, meanwhile, is also bound to protect the semi-autonomous nation in case a war breaks out with China. Cheng, who is known for her pro-China stance, said, "The US's expectations far exceed what we can reasonably afford," adding, "Taiwan isn't an ATM -- we really don't have that much money."
Also Read : Taiwan rejects China’s one nation, two systems policy: President
"We certainly have the determination to defend Taiwan, but it's not a blank cheque. That's why I said we must have a reasonable defence budget."
Lai's government has proposed US$31 billion or 3.32 per cent of GDP, for defence spending next year. Meanwhile, the pro-peace opposition leaders have said that if cross-strait relations are peaceful, we don’t need to enter a pointless arms race, adding that the best possible option is to discuss the situation with China.
Xi sent a congratulatory message to Cheng after her win and called on both sides to "advance national reunification". After three back-to-back defeats in the presidential run, Cheng said the KMT "cannot afford to lose again" in 2028.
However, experts have predicted a likely scenario that could unfold in the next one or two years, suggesting that China could potentially launch a World War II-style blitzkrieg operation inside Taiwan, toppling the government and taking control of the territory.
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