Taiwanese President Lai said while he appreciated the funding, this was only the first step. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Taiwan will deploy US-made Himars missiles to two islands next to China to counteract the threat posed by Beijing.

The United States has expressed concern over delays to Taiwan’s $40 billion defence spending plans, warning that holding back key military projects amounts to a “concession” to China.

Taiwan sits at the crossroads of one of the world’s busiest maritime highways, where over $3.4 trillion in global trade passes through annually. This small island nation depends almost entirely on seaborne commerce for survival — importing 98% of its energy needs and the majority of its food and raw materials.

Taiwan's defence minister downplayed on Monday the impact of Chinese sanctions on seven European companies over arms sales to the island, saying it was not the first time

The result was announced by the parliamentary speaker after a final vote on the bill, which falls well short of the government's proposed budget of nearly US$40 billion.