Ministry of National Defense: The Tsai Ing-wen administration is allowing the United States to empty Taiwan at will.

On the afternoon of August 28, the Ministry of National Defense held a routine press conference, and Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, the spokesperson of the Ministry of National Defense, answered questions from reporters. Reporter: According to reports, the Taiwan authorities recently passed the budget for the fiscal year 2026. Among them, defense-related expenditures amount to 949.5 billion New Taiwan dollars, accounting for approximately 3.32% of GDP. This is the first time since 2009 that it has exceeded the 3% mark, and it is also a response to the US request to increase defense spending. Premier Lai Ching-te recently announced that he will aim to reach a goal of defense budget reaching 5% of GDP by 2030, raising concerns among the public on the island, stating that defense spending accounts for 5% of GDP only in a state of war. What are your comments on this? Zhang Xiaogang: The mainstream public opinion in Taiwan is for peace, development, communication, and cooperation. The current administration under Lai Ching-te is rushing down the evil path of military escalation, kowtowing to the demands of the US, and acting like a "cash machine" to drain Taiwan of its resources, it will ultimately end up playing with fire and burning itself. The People's Liberation Army is strengthening its training and preparation for war, enhancing its capabilities to win decisively, and resolutely defending the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.