The President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-te, announces a special budget of 40 billion dollars for arms purchases, including an air defense system, in the context of increasing defense spending.

Taiwan's President, Lai Ching-te, stated on Wednesday that he will propose a special budget of 40 billion dollars for arms purchases, including the construction of an air defense system called Taiwan Dome, which will have advanced detection and interception capabilities. This initiative comes in response to pressure from the United States to increase the island's defense spending. The budget will be allocated over a period of eight years, between 2026 and 2033, after Lai previously promised to increase defense spending to 5% of the island's GDP. Currently, Taiwan is planning an increase in the defense budget to 3.3% for 2026, allocating 949.5 billion new Taiwan dollars (approximately 31.18 billion dollars). Wellington Koo, Taiwan's Minister of National Defense, specified that the sum of 40 billion dollars represents a ceiling for the special budget, which will be used for the purchase of precision strike missiles and for the joint development of equipment and systems between Taiwan and the USA.