Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te warned the island must be combat-ready within two years as threats from China intensify. At a press conference, he cited Beijing’s escalating military and political pressure and unveiled a special $40 billion defence budget. Lai said Xi Jinping’s regime is rapidly preparing to take Taiwan by force, urging accelerated national readiness.
00:00In a dramatic escalation in the Indo-Pacific, Taiwan has issued its starkest warning yet,
00:22vowing to prepare for combat within two years as China accelerates military pressure.
00:28Taipei is pushing through a massive new defence build-up, saying Beijing is moving faster than ever to take the island by force.
00:38Lai Qingtei delivered the blunt message at a news conference in Taipei,
00:42as Beijing expands both military and political pressure on the democratically governed island, which China claims as its own territory.
00:58Lai said Taiwan will boost defence spending beyond 3% of GDP next year, rising to 5% by the end of the decade, a level comparable to NATO standards.
01:12The president said this reflects Taiwan's determination to safeguard its sovereignty.
01:18Over the next eight years, Taiwan is planning to invest more than 1.25 trillion NT dollars to build an advanced air defence network,
01:29including a new multi-layered shield known as the Taiwan Dome.
01:34The system is aimed to provide real-time situational awareness and interception capabilities
01:40as China increases aircraft incursions and naval deployments around the island.
01:46In the next eight years, 2026 to 2033, we will invest 1.25 million NT dollars to build and build and build and build and build and build and build and build and build and build and build and build and build.
02:02The announcement came days after China's president, Xi Jinping, reportedly told U.S. President Donald Trump
02:13that Taiwan's return to the mainland is an integral part of the post-war international order.
02:21Taiwan has firmly rejected that claim, along with China's proposed one country, two systems model,
02:28a framework widely unpopular across the island, and one critics say has eroded freedoms in Hong Kong.
02:36President Lai said Taiwan will continue countering Chinese repression while sustaining a high level of combat preparedness,
02:45insisting that abandoning their position would be the gravest danger.
02:49Washington has maintained a long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity,
02:54refusing to declare whether U.S. troops would defend Taiwan, but making clear it opposes any use of force by Beijing.
03:03The U.S. has urged Taipei to strengthen its defences,
03:07mirroring its calls for higher military spending among allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.
03:14Lai described relations with President Trump as rock-solid,
03:18highlighting growing cooperation on drones, missiles and artificial intelligence-driven defence systems.
03:26The Taiwan Strait remains one of Asia's most volatile flashpoints.
03:31Analysts warned any miscalculation could draw in regional powers, including Japan, Australia and the Philippines.
03:39President Lai emphasized that Taiwan cannot afford to compromise in the face of pressure,
04:05warning that giving up, not invasion, is the true threat to the island's future.
04:12As China steps up military flights and naval drills,
04:16and the U.S. pushes Taipei to reinforce its own defences,
04:20Taiwan's government says it is entering a decisive decade,
04:24one in which preparation may define the island's survival.
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