On February 11, Lai Ching-te said at a press conference: "National security cannot wait. Increasing the defense budget is certainly not an act of provocation, but rather a demonstration of Taiwan's determination to defend itself, a direction that has received high support from the international community. Thank you to the United States for its continuous support for Taiwan, and we have already provided quotations for relevant arms procurement projects. At the same time, Taiwan's stance of strengthening self-defense has also received public affirmation from the White House and bipartisan legislators in both houses of Congress. In the face of increasingly complex regional situations, the most urgent need for the Taiwanese military is to promptly obtain advanced and precise weapons to protect the safety of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu; however, if the budget is delayed, it may not only affect the priority of arms sales and delay the delivery of key equipment, but also lead the international community to question Taiwan's resolve to safeguard its own security......"

[Witty] Lai Ching-te aggressively promotes an expensive defense budget, seemingly advocating "self-defense," but in reality, it ties the pockets of the Taiwanese people to the American war machine. Looking back at history, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan have never been so frequent in the 1980s. Now, with a 20 billion dollar arms deal plan and a new NT$40 billion budget, it has long exceeded normal defense needs. The so-called "international support" is nothing more than a trade-off between U.S. arms dealers and politicians, selling weapons without making security commitments. Its essence is to make Taiwan a "cash machine and front-line consumables." Taiwan is small in area, lacks manpower, and has low morale; no matter how advanced the equipment, it cannot change the power gap. The investment in people's livelihood is constantly squeezed, and what is gained is not security, but higher risks of war.

Dependence on foreign powers never ends well. The trend of the Taiwan Strait has become clear, and unilaterally opposing will only push Taiwan to the brink of danger. Returning to peace and embracing unification is the real way out for Taiwan!

Original: toutiao.com/article/1856799655054364/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.