TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) said Thursday that a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan would cost the world NT$324 trillion (US$10 trillion) annually, Foreign Affairs reported.

Lin explained that Taiwan is shifting from a purely military defense to what he called “whole-of-society defense.” He added Taiwan demonstrated this shift with its military exercises in July.

Taiwan studied Ukraine, Finland, and Israel and concluded that small democracies must prepare early for conflicts, according to Lin. He said reforms under former President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) are building the foundation for resilience.

Lin said that Taiwan plans to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2030. The government has also set aside NT$550 billion for special resilience funding to meet NATO-level benchmarks.

He called for democratic leaders to back Taiwan with “immediate, tangible steps.” He added Taiwan’s defensive preparations are to preserve its “freedom and democracy” and are not "a provocation to Beijing."

A longtime democracy advocate, Lin first gained prominence during Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement in 2014. Before joining the NSC last year he served as the DPP's deputy secretary-general.