Currently, Taiwan has set an increase in its defense budget to 3.3% of its GDP for 2026, allocating $949.5 billion Taiwan dollars ($31.18 billion). U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Taiwan raise its defense spending to as much as 10% of GDP, a proportion well above what the U.S. or any of its major allies spend.
Lai had previewed the announcement in an op-ed for The Washington Post on Wednesday, saying the special budget would be used to purchase arms from the U.S. He told reporters Wednesday, however, that the budget has nothing to do with the government’s tariff negotiations with the U.S.
If anyone needed more proof that Taiwan is a glorified US military base, here it is lol.
It’s not even glorified, not long ago there was a scandal where US sold them faulty supplies and equipment. Given that US MIC scalp vassals even worse than their own military, those 40 billion will likely not give them very much.
True. But I don’t think they have much of a choice. Just a little guy caught between two bullies, China and the USA. Not sure which is better to side with for them. If they give up to China they basically lose their independence.
Western liberals used to maintain that The West was noble and virtuous in order to maintain it’s ongoing domination of the world. Once it became too hard to do that anymore without looking ridiculous, they simply shifted to asserting that all of the West’s enemies are just as bad or worse.
Rules based world order? Rules for thee, not mee apparently. The Ukraine War is the official end of nuclear non proliferation. Get nukes or get fucked.
The ROC doesn’t want independence, they claim that the mainland belongs to them, essentially they share the same posture, there is one China, it’s just a difference of who rules. The bourgeoisie, or the proletariat.
No one should rule. The working class should discard the artifical borders dividing us against ourselves.
Eventually, sure. But we’re not at a place politically where that is feasible or even desirable.
They aren’t caught between anything. Taiwan is very much aligned with western imperial countries. It’s basically an island that all the wealthy capitalists ran away to after China imposed economic democracy. They love America and America loves them.
I think you’re thinking of Singapore (or Switzerland, or the UAE).
They are not thinking of those places, but it is kind of helpful of you to point out other countries where the US empire has repeated the same strategy
US empire and wealthy capitalists aren’t the same thing, although their interests sometimes align.
All the billionaires in Taiwan are Taiwanese.
Wealthy capitalists, if they’re not based in the US, have moved to those places, not to Taiwan.
“Vichy France isn’t part of the Nazi empire, because it’s French”
I was saying that the billionaires were not moving to the island of Taiwan.
You’re talking about US Empire, which, as mentioned in my other responses in this thread, is irrelevant to the physical movements of billionaires.
Even if Taiwan declared itself to be US Empire island #76, it would not change the fact that billionaires did not move to the island of Taiwan.
Genuinely, without snark, check out the term comprador
An intermediary.
A native of a colonised country who acts as the agent of the coloniser.
I don’t get the point you’re trying to make.
I said the wealthy capitalists went to not!Taiwan because the billionaires in Taiwan were already there.
Who is or is not a comprador has nothing to do with where wealthy capitalists relocate.
USA has something like 800 army bases located outside the USA. No other country has even 1 I believe. South Korea is another country that is essentially a US proxy state.
3·9 hours agoChina has a naval one in Djibouti.
I was talking about the wealthy capitalists
It’s basically an island that all the wealthy capitalists ran away to after China imposed economic democracy.
You mean they imposed economic dictatorship where capitalist own businesses and decide how they operate in autocratic manner. Economic democracy would be literally the opposite of capitalism where you have publicly owned industry and worker cooperatives where workers are able to exercise democratic control.
My bad. I see what you mean now.
I think I see what you mean about Taiwan as a proxy state for the US.
I don’t think they see themselves as that, but they do basically owe their continued independence from China to the fact that the US values them as a pawn in the battle for global power.
What if the USA backstab them like it did with Ukrqine under Trump?
Well… Taiwan is basically holding back the red tide, so…
Sure Mr. McCarthy, let’s get you to bed.
Least openly fascist .worlder
Take a moment and consider that it is possible that Everybody Sucks Here.
You sound like straight outta Hong Kong '97
What’s it like in the year 1957?
you say this like it’s a bad thing?
