‘Every bit of strength’: Taiwanese leader William Lai vows to boost island’s defences

In New Year’s Day speech, he also pledges to improve the resilience of the economy and ‘democratic supply chains’

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Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te said peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was essential for world security and prosperity, during a New Year’s Day address. Photo: CNA

Published: 2:00pm, 1 Jan 2025Updated: 4:20pm, 1 Jan 2025

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te vowed to boost the island’s defences and improve economic resilience in a New Year’s Day speech, as he faces a serious challenge from the opposition-controlled legislature.

Noting that the Ukraine war is still going on, Lai said “authoritarian regimes such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran” continue to converge, threatening the “rules-based international order” and seriously affecting the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific and the world.

He said peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait was essential for world security and prosperity, and that “Taiwan must be prepared for danger in times of peace, increase the defence budget, strengthen defence capabilities” and show that it is determined to protect itself.

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‘Every bit of strength’: Taiwanese leader William Lai vows to boost island’s defences

Lai’s speech on Wednesday followed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s address on New Year’s Eve, which included a message for Taiwan.

In the televised speech, Xi said Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belonged to one family, that no one could sever the bond of kinship between them, and “no one can ever stop China’s reunification – a trend of the times”.

Lai on Wednesday urged Taiwanese to gather “every bit of strength” to improve the island’s defences and “build the capacity to respond to large-scale disasters and deter threats and invasions”.

He said Taiwan would step up efforts to counter information and cognitive warfare, and reject threats and inducements, to prevent “malicious infiltration by foreign forces”.

It comes at a time of political turbulence for Lai, after Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature passed a series of bills on December 20 to sharply curtail the powers of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Among them is a funding allocation bill that Taipei said could reduce defence spending by 28 per cent, or NT$80 billion (US$2.4 billion).