TAIPEI - TAIWAN has scaled back its
military budget for 2010, officials said, amid generally warming ties
with its former bitter rival China.
Asian Defence News
Taiwan's parliament, controlled by the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party, rubber-stamped a budget of NT$297.4 billion (S$12.9 billion) for the defence ministry.
It is a 6.7 per cent fall from the NT$318.6 billion budget in 2009, the Cabinet-level Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said.
Ties
between Taipei and Beijing have eased markedly since President Ma
Ying-jeou of the Kuomintang was elected in March 2008 on a platform to
boost trade with the mainland and to allow in more Chinese tourists.
Even so, Taiwan remains wary of China's objectives, often citing more than 1,000 missiles lined up on its coastline facing the island.
The US Defense Department announced last week that it had approved the sale of Patriot missile equipment to Taiwan as part of a package
passed by Congress more than a year ago. The arms deal sparked strong
protests from Beijing, who warned that the move would violate its
security and severely undermine trust between the United States and
Chinese militaries.
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