Beijing takes aim at William Lai’s T-Dome shield and defence plans for Taiwan

“Lai’s speech distorted right and wrong, peddled fallacies of Taiwan independence and secession, and distorted and challenged historical facts and international consensus, once again exposing his stubborn nature as a troublemaker … and warmaker,” said Guo Jiakun, a mainland foreign ministry spokesman.

The Lai administration’s attempt to pursue independence through force and resist reunification “will only drag Taiwan into a dangerous situation of war”, Guo said.

“Maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait requires upholding the one-China principle and resolutely opposing Taiwan independence. China’s firm opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan and any military ties between the US and Taiwan is consistent and clear,” Guo said.

The ministry’s comments were in response to Lai’s pledge to boost the island’s defence spending and build a missile shield – dubbed the “T-Dome” – modelled after the US’ proposed Golden Dome system, in a bid to counter growing military pressure from Beijing.

In his speech on Friday, he added that his administration would propose a special defence budget by the end of the year to strengthen Taiwan’s deterrence and “whole-of-society” resilience.

“Defence spending, as it is defined by Nato, will exceed 3 per cent of GDP next year, and will reach 5 per cent of GDP by 2030,” Lai said at a ceremony marking the 114th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official title.

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