Taiwan leader defends military spending as peace priority

TAIPEI - Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te is set to reframe the island's military buildup as a defensive necessity rather than provocative action, according to remarks planned for his national day speech on Tuesday.

Lai will contend that boosting defence capabilities and allocating greater resources to the military represents the collective aspirations of Taiwan's people to preserve peace and safeguard democratic freedoms, a government official said. The framing attempts to address international concerns about military escalation in the Taiwan Strait amid rising geopolitical tensions.

The presidential address comes as Taiwan faces mounting security pressure from China, which claims the self-governing island as its own territory. Taipei has steadily increased defence expenditure in recent years to modernise its military capabilities and strengthen deterrence.

By positioning enhanced military spending as a peace-preservation measure rather than aggressive posturing, Lai seeks to distinguish Taiwan's security preparations from any actions that could be characterised as escalatory or destabilising in the region.