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Taiwan puts $40 billion toward buying US weapons and building a defense dome


Currently, Taiwan has set an increase in its defense budget to 3.3% of its GDP for 2026, allocating $949.5 billion Taiwan dollars ($31.18 billion). U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Taiwan raise its defense spending to as much as 10% of GDP, a proportion well above what the U.S. or any of its major allies spend.

Lai had previewed the announcement in an op-ed for The Washington Post on Wednesday, saying the special budget would be used to purchase arms from the U.S. He told reporters Wednesday, however, that the budget has nothing to do with the government’s tariff negotiations with the U.S.

https://apnews.com/article/taiwan-defense-budget-arms-purchases-spending-c1f34ad69a12b9599f4a356abd3b31c4

in reply to Realspecialguy

What's it like in the year 1957?
Questa voce è stata modificata (3 settimane fa)
in reply to NightOwl

If anyone needed more proof that Taiwan is a glorified US military base, here it is lol.
in reply to dogbert

True. But I don't think they have much of a choice. Just a little guy caught between two bullies, China and the USA. Not sure which is better to side with for them. If they give up to China they basically lose their independence.
in reply to falseWhite

They aren’t caught between anything. Taiwan is very much aligned with western imperial countries. It’s basically an island that all the wealthy capitalists ran away to after China imposed economic democracy. They love America and America loves them.
in reply to kindred

They are not thinking of those places, but it is kind of helpful of you to point out other countries where the US empire has repeated the same strategy
in reply to RiverRock

US empire and wealthy capitalists aren't the same thing, although their interests sometimes align.

All the billionaires in Taiwan are Taiwanese.

Wealthy capitalists, if they're not based in the US, have moved to those places, not to Taiwan.

in reply to RiverRock

An intermediary.

A native of a colonised country who acts as the agent of the coloniser.


I don't get the point you're trying to make.

I said the wealthy capitalists went to not!Taiwan because the billionaires in Taiwan were already there.

Who is or is not a comprador has nothing to do with where wealthy capitalists relocate.

in reply to kindred

I don't get the point you're trying to make


Then you're trying very hard not to get it. Try harder, I believe in you👍

in reply to BrainInABox

I was saying that the billionaires were not moving to the island of Taiwan.

You're talking about US Empire, which, as mentioned in my other responses in this thread, is irrelevant to the physical movements of billionaires.

Even if Taiwan declared itself to be US Empire island #76, it would not change the fact that billionaires did not move to the island of Taiwan.

in reply to kindred

I was saying that the billionaires were not moving to the island of Taiwan.


Man, you really are a dishonest little troll aren't you: "oh I was just saying this thing completely unrelated to the topic at hand. Oh, you thought I had a point? Nope, just making random statements for no reason."

Fuck off

in reply to BrainInABox

This was the statement I was responding to:

It’s basically an island that all the wealthy capitalists ran away to after China imposed economic democracy.


Here was my response :

Wealthy capitalists, if they're not based in the US, have moved to [Singapore (or Switzerland, or the UAE)], not to Taiwan.


Where was what I said dishonest or irrelevant?

Edit: reorganized for legibility


They aren’t caught between anything. Taiwan is very much aligned with western imperial countries. It’s basically an island that all the wealthy capitalists ran away to after China imposed economic democracy. They love America and America loves them.

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in reply to kindred

They obviously meant the wealthy capitalists from China I think it's pretty clear that you're playing dumb on purpose.
in reply to BrainInABox

Wealthy capitalists, if they're not based in the US


Are you talking about this part? If so, what I was saying was that billionaires moved to either the US or the three countries I mentioned.

That means the billionaires from China also did not move to Taiwan.

You can also look at the wiki for Taiwan's billionaires. Only one was born in China and not Taiwan (Hong Kong, specifically), and I'm pretty sure he moved to Taiwan way before the events we're taking about in this thread.

in reply to kindred

Lol, I thought you were blocking me, you coward. Felt you needed to get the last word in first?
in reply to falseWhite

Western liberals used to maintain that The West was noble and virtuous in order to maintain it's ongoing domination of the world. Once it became too hard to do that anymore without looking ridiculous, they simply shifted to asserting that all of the West's enemies are just as bad or worse.
in reply to BrainInABox

Rules based world order? Rules for thee, not mee apparently. The Ukraine War is the official end of nuclear non proliferation. Get nukes or get fucked.
in reply to falseWhite

The ROC doesn't want independence, they claim that the mainland belongs to them, essentially they share the same posture, there is one China, it's just a difference of who rules. The bourgeoisie, or the proletariat.
in reply to ghost_laptop

No one should rule. The working class should discard the artifical borders dividing us against ourselves.
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in reply to UltraGiGaGigantic

Eventually, sure. But we're not at a place politically where that is feasible or even desirable.