DEFENSE/KMT chair-elect expresses opposition to 5% GDP defense budget

Taipei, Oct. 29 (CNA) KMT chair-elect Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) said Wednesday that Taiwan needs a "reasonable defense budget" but warned that "too high and unreasonable" military spending would exceed the nation's financial capacity.

Cheng said Taiwan "is not an ATM" and argued that defense spending must not increase without limit or fuel "an endlessly escalating arms race."

Her remarks came as she reiterated opposition to proposals to raise defense spending to 5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), plans the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government says will strengthen deterrence against Chinese aggression.

In response to Cheng's remarks, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said on Wednesday the KMT chair-elect's position was inconsistent with "democratic countries around the world."

Kuo added that "investing in national defense is investing in peace" and is intended to maintain Taiwan's "democratic and free status quo [of our] way of life."

Cheng later told reporters on Wednesday that the Presidential Office's comments were a "misreading."

She said she firmly supports regional peace and cross-strait peace, but opposes any defense budget that "has no upper limit" or "creates a serious crowding-out effect" on public finances.

Cheng said Taiwan should clearly express to the world that "we are peace-loving" and that the country's "23 million people do not wish to create or provoke any regional conflict."

She said the Taiwan Strait is widely seen as potentially the biggest conflict flashpoint and added that she hopes tensions in the area can gradually ease and stabilize.

Cheng also said she has repeatedly urged Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) to be "more cautious and wiser" in managing cross-strait relations to avoid Taiwan being "dragged into unnecessary conflict."

Cheng made the remarks during a banquet at the Nantou County Council, where she appeared alongside Nantou County Magistrate Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華), Nantou County Council Speaker Ho Sheng-feng (何勝豐), the Mayor of Nantou City Chang Chia-che (張嘉哲), and others.

In August, President Lai pledged to gradually increase Taiwan's defense spending, setting a goal of raising it to 5 percent of GDP by 2030.

The same month, the government proposed a defense budget of NT$949.5 billion for 2026, representing 3.32 percent of GDP.

Under the successive DPP governments, defense spending has hovered between 2 and 2.5 percent over the past nine years.