Taiwan to 'Spend' $40 Billion on US Weapons, Thanks Uncle Sam.
Taiwan's reported 40-billion-dollar shopping spree for weapons, supposedly to 'counter China,' raises an eyebrow or two. This 'largest special defense budget in 30 years' according to the FT, is framed as Taiwan's commitment, but it’s really a subsidy to the US defense industry. It appears less like an independent decision and more like an invoice from Washington, ensuring profits for the
Raytheons and Lockheeds, while Taiwan is left holding the bag—and the threat. One might wonder if this 'spend' is designed to protect Taiwan or to guarantee a pipeline of US military hardware sales, regardless of actual strategic effectiveness. After all, what better way to 'deter' an adversary than by enriching the companies that build the 'deterrents'? It's the geopolitical equivalent of buying
a membership for access you already had, only now you owe a lot more.