KAOHSIUNGLast week, Taiwanese President William Lai unveiled a massive additional defense procurement proposal worth $40 billion, demonstrating that the independently ruled, democratic island is serious about countering escalating military pressure from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The People’s Republic of China has ruled Taiwan for less than a day, but claims the country as its territory.
The spokesperson also praised Taipei: “We also welcome the Lai administration’s recent commitments to increase defense spending to at least 3% of GDP by 2026 and 5% of GDP by 2030, demonstrating its determination to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities.”
CHINA’S ENERGY GUIDANCE OF TAIWAN COULD cripple US supply chains, report warns
Taiwanese President William Lai visits soldiers and air force personnel in Hualien, Taiwan, May 28, 2024. (Ann Wang/Reuters)
A day after Lai’s announcement, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo told media that preliminary talks have already been held with the United States about the types of weapons the country wants to buy as part of this budget that runs from 2026 to 2033. But Koo said he could not make details of the discussions public until Congress receives a formal notification.
Still, some in Taiwan expressed concern that the government’s language was somewhat subdued and did not come from high-ranking officials.
Those concerned about what they see as a muted tone from the Trump administration wondered whether the timing could be sensitive, coming shortly after President Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping struck a trade deal, and just days after Xi called Trump to reiterate Beijing’s claims about Taiwan, claims that the U.S. “recognizes” but does not accept.
A screen capture from a video shows the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command launching large-scale joint military exercises around Taiwan with naval ships and military aircraft in China on May 24, 2024. (Feng Hao / PLA / China Military/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a conservative who became Japan’s first female prime minister in October, is also causing pain to the fragile egos of China’s communist leaders. She appeared to break Japan’s long-standing strategic ambiguity over Taiwan when she asked in parliament on November 7 whether a Chinese attack on Taiwan would qualify as “a situation that threatens Japan’s survival.”
Takaichi didn’t budge with an “I don’t comment on hypotheses.” Instead, she said, “If there are battleships and force is used, no matter how you feel about it, it can be a survival-threatening situation.”
Under Japan’s 2015 security law, that designation could allow Japanese military action in defense of an ally.
General from Taiwan warns that Chinese military exercises could be a preparation for blockade or war
A Taiwanese soldier looks through high-powered binoculars at the Taiwan Strait along the narrow shipping lane that separates China from Taiwan. Here, Taiwan is closest to China and despite the easing of relations between the two enemies, the area is still heavily guarded. (Alberto Buzzola/LightRocket via Getty Images)
China predictably lashed out, immediately calling her comments “egregious.” A Chinese diplomat in Osaka escalated further, reposting coverage on X with a threat-like warning: “The dirty head that puts itself in must be cut off.”
Feingold noted that while Takaichi’s position was enthusiastically received in Taiwan, the excitement was “unsustainable and not based on a formal policy decision by Japan to defend Taiwan.”
Following reports that President Trump had called the Japanese Prime Minister asking him to dial back a conversation on Taiwan, Japanese Cabinet Secretary Kihara Minoru strongly denied it, saying Trump had not advised Takaichi to “tone down the tone of her comments on Taiwan.”
President Donald Trump speaks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi with members of the military aboard the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier docked at a U.S. naval base, in Yokosuka, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)
While geopolitical shifts made headlines, Lai’s real challenge lies at the national level. Taiwan has a unicameral legislature and Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party does not have a majority.
Cheng Li-wun, the new chairman of the main opposition Kuomintang party (KMT), campaigned against increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP and has repeatedly argued that Taiwan is “not an ATM” for “unreasonable” military budgets. The KMT supports a reengagement with Beijing and acceptance of the “1992 Consensus,” a proposed framework that allows both sides to claim there is “one China” while interpreting the meaning differently. Lai completely rejects this position and calls it a path to subordination to China.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Soldiers pose for group photos with a Taiwanese flag after a preparedness improvement exercise simulating defense against Beijing’s military intrusions ahead of the Lunar New Year in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan on January 11, 2023. (Daniel Ceng/AP Photo)
Analysts also emphasize that the proposal does not exclusively concern American weapons. Lai wants major investments in domestic defense production, including a “dome” anti-missile system, which could help debunk accusations of excessive spending to curry favor with Washington. But the plan still faces an unstable parliament and certain retaliation from China.
