Taiwan leader promises robust air defence system amid rising China tensions

President Lai Ching-te pledges accelerated gathering of T-Dome strategy to heighten information against predominant Chinese subject manoeuvres.

Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te pledged to accelerate the gathering of a “T-Dome” aerial defence strategy successful the look of military threats and wide accrued defence spending.

Lai connected Friday said his authorities would found a rigorous defence strategy with high-level detection and effectual interception.

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“The summation successful defence spending has a purpose; it is simply a wide necessity to antagonistic force threats and a driving unit for processing our defence industries,” helium said successful his National Day address, to applause from the crowd.

“We volition accelerate our gathering of the T-Dome, found a rigorous aerial defence strategy successful Taiwan with multi-layered defence, high-level detection, and effectual interception, and weave a information nett for Taiwan to support the lives and spot of citizens.”

Lai besides pledged to summation defence spending to much than 3 percent of gross home merchandise and to scope 5 percent by 2030.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te waves a Taiwan emblem with Taiwan’s First Lady Wu Mei-ju during National Day celebrations successful Taipei, Taiwan, connected October 10, 2025 [Ann Wang/Reuters]

Much of Taiwan’s existing aerial defence systems are chiefly based connected the United States-made Patriot and the Taiwan-developed Sky Bow missiles.

Taiwan is simply a self-governing land disconnected China’s eastbound seashore that the Chinese authorities claims arsenic its territory and says indispensable travel nether its rule.

Lai called Taiwan a “hub of bid and stability” successful the Asia Pacific region, drafting a favoritism with China’s one-party state.

“Democratic Taiwan … volition strive to support the presumption quo, support bid and stableness successful the Taiwan Strait, and beforehand determination prosperity and development,” Lai said.

China and Taiwan divided during a civilian warfare that brought the Communist Party to powerfulness successful China successful 1949. The defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan, wherever they acceptable up their ain government.

The Chinese subject regularly sends combatant jets and warships into the skies and waters disconnected Taiwan and has staged large subject exercises successful the country successful caller years.

The US, similar astir countries, does not recognise Taiwan arsenic a country, but it supplies the authorities with subject instrumentality for its defence and opposes immoderate usage of subject unit by China to settee its quality with Taiwan.