Taiwan’s Frustrating Defense Spending Limits

By: Jens Kastner

Amid deep concerns in the west, particularly in the United States vis-à-vis a long-threatened invasion of Taiwan, military planners in Taipei appear remarkably blasé. The island’s military spending inched up by a meager 1.8 percent year-on-year in 2024, far outpaced by the rest of East Asia’s average 7.8 percent – China at 7 percent, Jap…