China Boosts Defense Spending, Threatens Taiwan

China on Tuesday announced a 7.2 percent increase in military spending for 2024 and officially adopted tougher language against Taiwan.

• A Finance Ministry document made official the near-$232 billion budget increase.
• A government report by Premier Li Qiang dropped the mention of “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan, saying only that China must “be firm” in taking the island.

Details: A Chinese anti-secession law states Beijing must take Taiwan, whether peacefully or by force. Taiwan’s recent election of Lai Ching-te as president makes a peaceful takeover less likely.

In addition, as China looks to Taipei’s main supporter, the United States, and sees that Donald Trump is likely to return to the White House, it may sense that its window of opportunity is closing. The Biden administration is much less likely to stop a Chinese takeover. Should Joe Biden leave office in January, Beijing may be forced to wait much longer to take the island.

Tuesday’s announcements show a greater Chinese urgency to follow through on its threats.

Takeover imminent: As Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry wrote in “Taiwan Betrayal,” America’s weakness will lead to Taiwan’s fall.