President Tsai Ing-wen reiterated Oct. 23 the government’s commitment to further strengthening the nation’s defense capabilities by increasing military spending, enhancing personnel training and boosting armed forces morale.
Tsai made the remarks at the Office of the President while receiving a delegation from Washington-based think tank the Hudson Institute led by the organization’s President and CEO Kenneth Weinstein.
Tsai said one of the government’s top priorities is to bolster Taiwan’s national defense industry through such measures as fostering collaboration and engaging in exchanges with the U.S. think tank on military reform and regional peace and security.
Regarding military spending, the president said that in August the Executive Yuan proposed increasing the national defense budget for fiscal year 2018 to NT$320 billion (US$10.6 billion), up NT$12.1 billion year on year and amounting to 16.1 percent of the total budget.
Earlier the same day, Tsai reiterated the importance of military cooperation with Republic of China (Taiwan) diplomatic allies. She made the comments while receiving a delegation from the Dominican Republic led by the Caribbean ally’s defense minister, Ruben Dario Paulino Sem.
While in Taiwan, the delegation is scheduled to participate in a Ministry of National Defense-organized training program involving high-ranking military and police personnel from Central and South America. The goal of the program is to help deepen mutual understanding and strengthen bilateral ties, according to the MND.
Taiwan and the Dominican Republic enjoy robust ties through continued close collaboration in areas spanning the economy and trade, medical care, public infrastructure and social welfare, the president said, adding that engaging in military exchanges is a priority for her administration. Since Dominican President Danilo Medina took office in 2012, the Central American nation has worked to expand bilateral military cooperation, she added.
Tsai also noted Vice President Chen Chien-jen’s trip to the Dominican Republic to attend the second term inauguration of Medina in August last year, as well as MND Chief of General Staff Lee Hsi-ming’s upcoming visit to the Conference of Central American Armed Forces in the Dominic Republic in November. She said such exchanges and collaborative efforts exemplify the deepening diplomatic ties between the two nations. (KWS-E)
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