Taiwan will spend NT$70.6 billion (US$2.2 billion) on weapons from the US next year amid the escalating threat from mainland China.
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The island’s defence ministry said Taipei has signed contracts with the United States for 21 procurement projects, totalling NT$716.6 billion, with final payments scheduled to be made in 2031.
“Of this total, approximately NT$373.1 billion has already been paid, while NT$343.5 billion remains unpaid and will be disbursed according to the payment schedule,” the ministry said on Monday.
Next year’s NT$70.6 billion budget will be spent on weapons including portable short-range air defence missiles and radar system upgrades.
A recent proposal submitted to Taiwan’s legislature for review highlighted those purchases, including 108 M1A2T Abrams tanks, 66 F-16V fighter jets, 29 HIMARS rocket systems, and 100 Harpoon land-based missile systems.
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Wang Kung-yi, head of the Taiwan International Strategic Study Society, a Taipei think tank, warned that the amount to be allocated for next year’s spending “might fall short of expectations set by Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticised Taiwan for not doing enough to defend itself.”
The president-elect has urged Taiwan to increase defence spending to 10 per cent of its gross domestic product to secure US support against threats from the People’s Liberation Army.