WASHINGTON/BEIJING – The US was disappointed in a move by Taiwan’s opposition-controlled Parliament to approve defence spending short of what Washington believes is needed, a senior US official said on May 10.
“Our position on Taiwan’s defence budget … is that it was disappointing in that there was some stuff left on the cutting room floor that we believe still needs to be funded,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
“We’d like to see the rest of the original proposed package funded.”
Taiwan’s Parliament approved extra defence spending of US$25 billion (S$32 billion) on May 8, about two-thirds of the amount sought by the government to bolster the armed forces in the face of a rapidly modernising Chinese military. REUTERS
