Taiwan fires back at China with $3bn defense spree: fighter jets, submarines and more

Taiwan is pulling out all the stops! The island nation has approved a jaw-dropping T$94.3 billion ($2.97 billion) increase in its defense budget to buy weapons in 2024, including state-of-the-art fighter jets to fortify its defenses against China. This financial firepower comes as China intensifies its military and political pressure on Taiwan, which it views as its own territory—a claim Taiwan vehemently opposes.

But Taiwan isn’t stopping there. On Wednesday, the United States greenlit a $500 million sale of advanced F-16 fighter jet tracking systems to Taiwan. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill systems; these are the same cutting-edge tech used by F-35 and F-22 fighters, some of the most advanced aircraft in the world! “These systems will help us target China’s next-generation J-20 stealth fighters,” said Taiwan’s Deputy Defense Minister Po Horng-huei, throwing down the gauntlet.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen announced earlier this week that the overall proposed defense budget for 2024 would be a whopping T$606.8 billion, a 3.5% increase from this year. Nearly half of the additional T$94.3 billion will be funneled into acquiring new fighter jets, and the rest will go towards bolstering Taiwan’s naval defenses. “We’re committed to deterring Chinese air activity more effectively,” added Po, amplifying Taiwan’s steadfast commitment to its sovereignty.

In response, China predictably called on the U.S. to immediately cancel the planned arms sale, a demand that seems to have fallen on deaf ears so far. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s opposition to China’s claims and its boosted defense spending—amounting to 2.5% of its GDP—await parliamentary approval, which is likely given President Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party holds a majority.

President Tsai isn’t just throwing money at the problem; she’s been spearheading a military modernization campaign to better prepare Taiwan’s armed forces against China. This includes upgrading a fleet of F-16 fighter jets and developing indigenous submarines, the first prototype of which is expected to be unveiled next month. Taiwan is also upgrading 141 F-16A/B jets to the F-16V type and has ordered 66 new F-16Vs with advanced avionics, weapons, and radar systems. Watch out, China—Taiwan is gearing up and it means business!