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Taiwan proposes a 14 percent increase in its defense spending amid escalating tensions with China

Taiwan proposes a 14 percent increase in its defense spending amid escalating tensions with China

Aug. 25 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Taiwanese authorities have proposed this Thursday a 14 percent increase in its defense spending in the fiscal budget for 2023 amid escalating tensions with Beijing over its military exercises around the island.

The budget, which would reach 13.2 billion dollars, would also include an additional amount for purchases of military equipment, such as advanced combat aircraft and programs to increase Taiwan’s air and sea combat capacity, according to Bloomberg.

The initiative, raised in the face of increased tension on the island due to security challenges in the face of Chinese maneuvers, will now go to Parliament –Legislative Yuan–, where it will have to be approved in a session scheduled for next month, according to collected the newspaper ‘Nikkei’.

Amid tensions with the Asian giant, several Japanese government officials told the ‘Yomiuri’ newspaper on Sunday that the authorities are considering acquiring an arsenal of more than a thousand long-range missiles.

With this move, Tokyo also plans to expand the ability of its surface-to-ship missiles to reach objects more than 1,000 kilometers away, with the aim of reaching the coastal areas of North Korea and China.

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