TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) delivered his fourth address in a series of 10 at the Lions Club in Taipei on Tuesday.

He discussed national defense and the need for more unity, criticizing opposition parties that have partially frozen military spending. Lai said the defense of Taiwan is the most important undertaking of his administration, per CNA.

Lai referred to the Battle of Guningtou in 1949, when the country came together to repel Chinese forces in Kinmen. He said the battle demonstrated the country's resolve, as the military, along with citizens from all ethnic groups, came together to defeat an aggressor.

He said that under KMT administrations, defense spending accounted for only 2% of GDP. Lai said that under Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) administration, defense spending steadily increased and last year reached 2.5% of GDP.

Lai regretted that NT$90 billion (US$3.08 billion) of the military budget remained frozen. He said opposition parties are impacting critical areas of defense, such as the development of drones, which have proved effective in the Ukraine-Russia war.

He mentioned comments by US Senator Dan Sullivan, who accused Taiwan's opposition parties of "playing a dangerous game" when blocking portions of the defense budget in March. Sullivan said Republican and Democratic lawmakers were concerned about this matter.

According to Lai, his administration is committed to lifting Taiwan's defense budget to 3% of GDP. He called upon the public to urge lawmakers to unfreeze military budgets and halt declining investments in national defense.

Lai said that national defense is not just a matter for the military, but for the entire nation. He called upon the public to join July's "National Unity Month," which this year integrates the 41st Han Kuang exercise (July 9-18) with urban resilience drills.