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Taiwan President Lai Ching-te Urges Defense Spending on 1958 Battle Anniversary

evening · · thread: Tensions Escalate Between China and Philippines Over Disputed South China Sea Features

3 sources across 3 countries · Japan · Taiwan · United Kingdom

Who reported this

  • The Japan Times Japan · Centre · News2u Holdings
  • Focus Taiwan Taiwan · Centre · Public · Central News Agency, statutory funding
  • Reuters United Kingdom · Centre · Thomson Reuters Corporation

What the colours mean

  • Left
  • Centre-left
  • Centre
  • Centre-right
  • Right
  • A hatched block means the outlet is affiliated with, or controlled by, a state.

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Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te marked the 68th anniversary of the 1958 clash with Chinese forces by calling for increased national defense spending. Speaking at an event in Kinmen, President Lai described the successful defense of the island during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis as a prime example of peace through strength. He urged cross party unity in supporting the proposed 2027 defense budget, which allocates a record NT$1.1225 trillion, or approximately 3.01 percent of gross domestic product.

During the memorial, President Lai stated that peace is not a gift and that agreements made through the sacrifice of sovereignty lead to humiliation rather than genuine peace. He asserted that Chinese authoritarian forces have maintained their ambition for expansion for the past 68 years. The event honored soldiers who repelled the 1958 artillery bombardment, during which the People's Liberation Army fired 475,000 shells at Kinmen over 44 days. President Lai paid his respects by burning incense and laying a wreath in the rain.

How each side framed it

Centre
Outlets with a center lean focused on the president's call for increased defense spending and his framing of the 1958 conflict as a justification for current military strength.

Sources

100% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.