Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has pledged to boost military spending, a move aimed at showing U.S. President Donald Trump that the self-ruled island is committed to defending itself from China.
Lai said at a news briefing in Taipei on Friday that Taiwan would boost expenditure to 3% of GDP, though he didn’t indicate when that would start. Taiwan said earlier it would spend a record amount on defense in 2025, though that would work out to 2.45% of estimated GDP, in line with recent years.
"Taiwan is willing to cooperate with the U.S. in every aspect,” Lai said in his remarks, which followed a meeting with national security officials. He added that Taiwan would expand investment in the U.S. and buy more of its goods, and that his government was communicating with the Trump administration.
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