From Politico:
"Taiwan’s former president says Ukraine needs US weapons more urgently than Taipei
By Jack Detsch
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Saturday that the United States should prioritize helping Ukraine despite the looming threat of a Chinese cross-strait invasion of the self-governing island.
“They should do whatever they can to help the Ukrainians,” Tsai said at the forum. “We [Taiwan] still have time.”
The comments from the former Taiwanese leader at the Halifax International Security Forum came after U.S. Indo-Pacific Command chief Adm. Samuel Paparo said Tuesday that supplying weapons to Ukraine had begun to affect the U.S. military’s ability to prepare for a conflict in Asia...
While Taiwan is heavily reliant on purchasing American weapons and receiving U.S. military aid for its defense, Tsai said that American support for Ukraine would help deter China from a cross-strait attack.
“A Ukrainian victory will serve as the most effective deterrent to future aggression” globally Tsai said.
Taiwanese officials have said that the island has boosted defense spending by 80 percent in the past eight years, hitting a record $19 billion in 2024.
But that hasn’t been enough to placate President-elect Donald Trump, who has suggested that Taiwan “should pay” and has also called for the island to boost defense spending
to 10 percent of GDP. Tsai did not directly respond to whether Taipei
should raise its budget to that level. “We would have some difficulty
accepting an arbitrary figure,” Tsai said..."
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