TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Mainland Affairs Council on Wednesday urged China to exercise restraint after it said it would hike its defense budget by 7.2%.
MAC said that China has constantly increased its defense budget in recent years and expanded militarily abroad. It said the PLA has repeatedly sent military aircraft and vessels to disrupt Taiwan.
It said the PLA has also broken international norms by conducting live-fire drills in areas near Vietnam, Australia, and New Zealand. In addition, MAC said China unilaterally designated a live-fire exercise zone off the coast of Taiwan’s Kaohsiung and Pingtung. It said this has seriously affected international maritime safety and escalated tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the region.
MAC said that Taiwan’s government remains firm in its determination to defend national sovereignty and will not succumb to pressure. It added it would continue to monitor and respond to PLA activities.
It called on Beijing to “exercise rational self-restraint," engage in dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected government to resolve differences, and shoulder the responsibility of maintaining peace and stability in the region. It urged Beijing to refrain from resorting to “provocative military actions that harm all parties.”
China’s annual National People’s Congress and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, collectively known as the “Two Sessions,” commenced on March 4 and 5.
During the NPC’s opening session on Wednesday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強) said that China's defense budget will reach 1.78 trillion Chinese yuan (NT$8 trillion) this year, an increase of 7.2%. Li also announced that Beijing will “firmly advance the cause of China's reunification" and work with “fellow Chinese” in Taiwan to advance unification.
