Taiwan seeks deeper Asia-Pacific ties, higher defense spending: Lai

Taipei, Aug. 28 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) said Thursday that Taiwan will work with Asia-Pacific partners to promote peace and sustainable development, while pledging stronger defense capabilities and economic security.

At the 2025 General Assembly of the Asian-Pacific Parliamentarians' Union (APPU) in Taipei, Lai said Taiwan would "demonstrate its determination to safeguard regional peace," stressing that peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are "indispensable to security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific."

Lai said defense spending will exceed 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) next year under a Cabinet proposal pending legislative approval, and the government aims to raise the figure to 5 percent by 2030.

At the same time, Taiwan is boosting economic cooperation with the United States, Japan and the European Union, reversing its past reliance on China, he said. Taiwan's investment in China accounted for 7.5 percent of total outbound investment in 2024, down from 83.8 percent in 2010, according to Lai.

He said Taiwan would also strengthen exchanges with allies and like-minded partners through APPU and other platforms, while remaining open to engagement with Beijing on equal terms.

The assembly included Taiwanese lawmakers from across party lines and parliamentarians from Japan, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Founded in 1965 as the Asian Parliamentarians' Union by former Japanese Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi, the group later expanded to promote cooperation across the Asia-Pacific.

Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) described APPU as "an important bridge" for inter-parliamentary exchange and said Taiwan looked forward to building closer, mutually beneficial partnerships with member states.

Han also urged parliamentarians to continue supporting Taiwan's participation in international organizations and events, saying its inclusion would strengthen global capacity to address climate change, health crises and economic volatility.