President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) underscored the importance of three major tasks to be prioritized in the near future: increasing the defense budget to more than 3% of the GDP, further promoting the national security legal reform and network to enhance social resistance and promote internal unity, and seizing the opportunity of global supply chain and economic order restructuring with trade strategies. The president made his points in a high-level national security meeting at the Presidential Office on Friday morning.
Lai elaborated that the democratic world is facing a common threat from the convergence of authoritarian groups in addition to the challenges of working with the new U.S. government’s drastically different strategies and policies. He explained that a special fund will be prepared to bring the defense budget to the target of more than 3% of GDP to promote reform and resilience throughout society. The president said that currently, the defense budget accounts for about 2.5% of Taiwan's GDP and its increase will let the international community understand Taiwan's firm position on self-defense.
The president also emphasized that to prevent and deal with China’s infiltration and cognitive warfare, continuing to promote national security legal reform and expanding the construction of the national security network is integral to protecting Taiwan.
Additionally, Lai said that an economic and trade strategy "based in Taiwan, deployed globally" will strengthen high-tech industries and encourage cooperation with friendly countries to build a global democratic supply chain. The president ensured that with the three key tasks prioritized, Taiwan will continue to progress and develop on the international stage.