Taiwan Announced Billions More for Defense. Here’s How It Can Deliver.

To partners in Washington, Tokyo, and beyond, those are welcome numbers that suggest Taipei is beginning to shoulder more of the deterrence burden against Beijing’s accelerating military buildup and coercive pressure. They sound like long-awaited proof that Taipei is finally putting real money behind deterrence. But on its own, the pledge is ironically cheap talk: big figures without a clear system to turn them into measurable gains for Taiwan’s military readiness.

In a Washington Post op-ed last November, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te committed his country to raising defense spending from roughly 2.4 percent to 3.3 percent of GDP in the next year and to 5 percent by 2030. Lai also announced a $40 billion supplementary defense budget that will fund “significant new arms acquisitions” and enhance “asymmetrical capabilities.”

In a Washington Post op-ed last November, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te committed his country to raising defense spending from roughly 2.4 percent to 3.3 percent of GDP in the next year and to 5 percent by 2030. Lai also announced a $40 billion supplementary defense budget that will fund “significant new arms acquisitions” and enhance “asymmetrical capabilities.”

To partners in Washington, Tokyo, and beyond, those are welcome numbers that suggest Taipei is beginning to shoulder more of the deterrence burden against Beijing’s accelerating military buildup and coercive pressure.