A row of Taiwan Air Force Mirage-2000 fighter jets during a military exercise to test readiness ahead of the Lunar New Year, in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on January 16, 2019. Photo/REUTERS
The defense spending includes spare parts for F-16 fighter aircraft and weapons replenishment. The report was revealed by the Taiwanese military.
China views Taiwan as its own territory. Beijing held war games around the island in August.
China’s military also fired missiles over Taipei and declared a no-fly and no-sail zone in a simulation of how China is trying to isolate Taiwan in war.
In a report seeking parliamentary budget approval, a copy of which Reuters reviewed on Monday, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it began reviewing its strategic fuel reserves and repair capabilities last year, but gave no details.
“In anticipation of a total blockade of the Taiwan Strait, this year’s expenditure will include replenishment of artillery and rocket stocks, as well as spare parts for F-16 fighter aircraft to strengthen the continuity of combat,” said the Ministry of Defense of Taiwan.
In an update of its threat assessment from China, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said China’s military had conducted joint force operations with the aim of controlling strategic hot spots and denying access to foreign troops.
