At a Sept. 16 briefing, the Taiwan Affairs Office addressed reports that
Taiwan’s 2027 defense budget and special budget will approach 4% of GDP and that
Lai Ching-te has pledged to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP. The office
criticized the Democratic Progressive Party, saying the move risks crowding out
social welfare spending, harming Taiwanese interests and pushing Taiwan into a
more dangerous position, and warned such policies will face strong public
opposition.
