Politics Taiwan steps up air defense and appeals to China
Due to the tensions with China, Taiwan wants to speed up the construction of its "T-Dome" air defense system.
10.10.2025, 09:01
SDA
President Lai Ching-te said in his National Day speech in Taipei that the island republic wanted to create a safety net to protect the lives of its citizens.
In order to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense, defense spending should exceed three percent of economic output by 2026, Lai announced. By 2030, the proportion should reach five percent. At the same time, Taiwan wants to cooperate with "advanced nations" in order to strengthen its defense industry, he explained.
Appeal to China
Lai reminded Beijing of China's responsibility as a great power. Taiwan hopes that China will refrain from using force or coercion to change the status quo in the strait between the two countries (Taiwan Strait) and that peace and stability will be maintained in the Indo-Pacific. Lai said the world was facing major upheavals - from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and unrest in the Middle East to China's military build-up and US tariffs.
China regards Taiwan as part of its territory, although the island with its population of around 23 million has been independently governed for decades. The annexation of Taiwan is one of the most important goals of the Chinese communist government. Beijing has repeatedly threatened to use the military to achieve this if it cannot do so peacefully.
Is Beijing reacting?
In 2024, China's People's Liberation Army simulated a blockade of Taiwan in its second large-scale military exercise "Joint Sword-2024B" a few days after Lai's National Day speech. In April of this year, the military held the "Strait Thunder-2025A" exercise. The name led observers to assume that another exercise could follow this year.
