The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday slammed former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) comments that the government was squandering money on national defense, saying he has embarrassed himself by ignoring China’s rapidly expanding armed forces and military threat against Taiwan.
During a speech on Sunday at an event in Bangkok, Ma said the government had taken on a heavy burden by allocating large sums of money for military expenditure, notably to buy US-made weapons, as payment for “protection,” as former US president Donald Trump has said.
“Money-pit bills” to buy arms would ruin public finances and only benefit the US defense industry, he said.
Photo: Hsieh Chun-lin, Taipei Times
At a news conference in Taipei yesterday, DPP caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said that “portions of the government’s fiscal budget are for military spending to protect our country.”
“We actively engage in arms procurement from other countries to bolster our national defense, as well as to support indigenous weapons production,” she said.
“So what is wrong with building up national defense to safeguard our own country? Many countries around the world have higher military budgets than Taiwan? Are all their defense expenditures ‘money pits’?” she asked.
Ma has embarrassed himself on the world stage by calling military spending as squandering money, DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said.
“During Ma’s eight years as president, the government budget for national defense totaled more than NT$300 billion [US$9.19 billion at the current exchange rate]. It was not much, but he did allocate a budget,” Wang said.
China in March approved a national defense budget of more than 1.665 trillion yuan (US$234.35 billion), a 7.2 percent increase from last year, Wang added.
“We are the one under hostile intimidation by China, but Ma says Taiwan spending on the military is squandering money. Ma chooses to grovel and kowtow to China, while Beijing expands its budget to escalate its military threat against Taiwan,” he said.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) yesterday also criticized Ma’s comments.
“Allocating a budget for national defense depends on the military threat against Taiwan, and the amount should be adjusted as needed,” she said.
Taiwan faces more intense hostility from China compared with when Ma was in office, she said.
“Taiwan must invest in national defense, which has nothing to do with Trump’s talk about ‘paying for protection,’ nor Ma’s talk of ‘money-pit bills.’ It is necessary to allocate a budget to build up a more effective deterrent against hostile military threats from abroad,” she said.
The government must carefully plan the national defense budget to enhance Taiwan’s deterrence, while engaging in dialogue with China to reduce hostilities. This is the best way for Taiwan to achieve long-term peace and security,” Lin said.
Additional reporting by Lin Che-yuan
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS