Taiwan Boosts Defence Push to ‘Deter War,’ Leader Declares

Taipei: Taiwan aims to “deter war” by increasing its defence spending, the democratic island’s leader said on Saturday, as China uses military pressure to assert its territorial claims. Taiwan’s 23 million people live under the constant threat of an attack by China, which insists the island is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it. “Our aim by increasing investment in national defence is not to provoke, rather, it is to deter war,” President Lai Ching-te said in a speech to celebrate Taiwan’s National Day. Successive administrations have ramped up military spending as Taiwan improves…