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Lai Announces 2027 Taiwan Defense Budget Over NT$1 Trillion

8/17/2026

Summary

Story summary

President Lai Ching-te announced the 2027 defence budget will exceed NT$1 trillion, reaching NT$1.1225 trillion (over 3 % of GDP) and called it an “investment in peace.”
Taiwan finished its Han Kuang drills, a break of a Chinese maritime blockade, which China’s Defence Ministry condemned as a “wasteful charade” that “stoked war panic.”
Parliament approved the 2026 budget on 14 August 2026 after months of delay, warning it will not write blank cheques for the government.

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Story summary

President Lai Ching-te announced the 2027 defence budget will exceed NT$1 trillion, reaching NT$1.1225 trillion (over 3 % of GDP) and called it an “investment in peace.”
Taiwan finished its Han Kuang drills, a break of a Chinese maritime blockade, which China’s Defence Ministry condemned as a “wasteful charade” that “stoked war panic.”
Parliament approved the 2026 budget on 14 August 2026 after months of delay, warning it will not write blank cheques for the government.