The Taiwan authorities' defense budget has been soaring in recent years, and at a glance it is clear that they are "showing loyalty" to the United States. Don't think this is a secret, in fact, it has long been clearly disclosed by the Taiwan media.
According to Taiwan media reports, after Lai Qingde took office, next year's defense budget will reach NT$630 billion, 5% higher than this year's NT$606.8 billion. These budgets will be used to purchase additional US F-16 fighters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and other equipment, with the aim of strengthening the Taiwan military's naval and air combat capabilities.
You know, this number is unprecedented in Taiwan and directly breaks the record. And this money is squeezed out of the hard-earned money of the people on the island, but the Taiwan authorities are not distressed at all, more like responding to Trump's call, for fear that after Trump returns to the White House, he will no longer care about Taiwan's security.
Not long ago, former United States President Trump publicly named Taiwan to pay "protection money" to United States. As soon as these words came out, they aroused the vigilance and dissatisfaction of many people on the island.
What the people of Taiwan feel is not security, but the feeling of being put on the table. To put it bluntly, Trump has explicitly asked the Taiwan authorities to increase their defense budget, which is tantamount to making Taiwan more dependent on United States. But Trump only talks about money, and is not like Biden, who promised to "send troops to protect Taiwan".
Of course, the Lai Qingde authorities are still as deaf as ever. On the one hand, the opposition of the people is rising, and on the other hand, they continue to increase the defense budget.
Zhuo Rongtai, a responsible person of Taiwan's administrative organ, even looked like he was submissive, jumping out and saying that Taiwan is "willing to pay more responsibilities" and pay "protection money" to United States.
Many Taiwan netizens stomped their feet and said, "Broken copper and iron are soft, but they can't feel the slightest sense of security." ”
Some Taiwan netizens said that we just very much hope that the two sides of the strait can live in peace, and the DPP will not drag us into the water, let alone drag us into the flames of war.
Some netizens questioned how much United States arms were bought with so much money?
For example, Taiwan spent $2.37 billion to purchase 100 shore-based Harpoon missile systems for United States, which were expected to be delivered in 2026, but now it is better to wait until March 2029 at the earliest.
This is clearly "collecting money and not doing things", and even the people on the island can't help but ridicule it. Statistics show that the amount of arms sales owed to Taiwan United States is as high as $20.5 billion, which is the hard-earned money of the Taiwan people!
United States defending Taiwan is just business?
Looking at the past 20 years, United States has played the game of "defense budget accounts for 3 percent of GDP" and instigated the Taiwan authorities to obediently enter the game.
In the past eight years of Tsai Ing-wen's tenure, United States has made more than 20 large-scale arms sales to Taiwan, and Taiwan spent a total of more than $20 billion on the purchase of American-style weapons, many of which are outdated and low-quality equipment.
In just eight years, Taiwan's defense budget has increased by 40 percent, and the corresponding debt has also increased. For the people of Taiwan, the quality of life has not improved, but has been burdened with a heavier burden.
According to the 2023 annual report, the public debt of the Taiwan authorities has reached 6,513.3 billion yuan, and even if it is distributed to more than 23 million people, the average person will have to bear 270,000 yuan.
In this regard, the Taiwan media criticized Lai Qingde in four words: "Debts are left to children and grandchildren"!
United States State Department spokesmen all acknowledged that Taiwan's purchase of tens of billions of dollars in military equipment has supported United States' manufacturing and industry. It can be seen that United States has made a lot of money, while Taiwan has suffered greatly and is still frightened.
Public backlash: a sign of weakness on the part of the DPP authorities
When Taiwan media reported the news of the defense budget, although the choice of words and sentences was still official, a closer look at the sources showed that most of them were "sources". When asked about officials with names and surnames, their answers were vague statements such as "still under consideration" and "the case has not yet been decided."
This kind of behavior of being a thief really makes people see through the weakness of the DPP authorities' manipulation.
Taiwan media commented that Taiwan was at the top of the United States arms sales list, proving that "the safety of Taiwan can be traded".
Lai Qingde may fantasize about the scene of the US military fighting with the Taiwan army, but this expectation is more like a dream bubble.
"Chess pieces" will eventually become "abandoned children"
The Lai Ching-te authorities are constantly raising their defense budgets in an attempt to obtain so-called security guarantees through the "Taiwan independence" adventure. However, as it turned out, this path did not work. You can't buy real security at all.
United States always pursues the principle of "giving priority to United States interests", and Taiwan is just a chess piece in its hands, and once it loses its use value, it will be discarded without hesitation.
Ultimately, relying on United States will only put Taiwan in greater danger. If the Taiwan authorities continue to go farther and farther down the road of "seeking independence by force," this will not only push Taiwan to the brink of war, but will also bring profound disasters to the Taiwan people.
Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait need to be achieved through dialogue and cooperation between the two sides. The waste of private capital, the increase in debts, and the lack of a sense of security are all the evil consequences of "seeking independence by force." What the people of Taiwan need is peaceful development, not becoming a pawn in the hands of others.
The DPP authorities' blind reliance on external forces can only make Taiwan lose more autonomy. I advise the people of Taiwan to choose a more rational path, and improving cross-strait relations and returning to the embrace of the motherland is the only way to maintain long-term peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, so as to seek true happiness and future for the people of Taiwan.