Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te has vowed to increase military spending, aiming to show commitment to defending itself from Chinese aggression. This move follows a suggestion by US President Donald Trump for Taipei to boost its armed forces expenditure. Lai pledged that Taiwan would allocate 3% of its GDP to defense, although the timeline is unclear. This is a significant escalation, as Taiwan plans to spend a record amount on defense in 2025, equivalent to 2.45% of estimated GDP, similar to recent years’ spending levels.
Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-02-14/taiwan-s-lai-vows-to-lift-military-funding-after-trump-complaint