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Taiwan president vows defence boost to deter war during National Day

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te declared during his National Day address that the island is increasing defence spending to deter war while protecting its freedom.

FTMQ News, written by our newsroom10 October 2026 at 06:500 views

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Picture: Al Jazeera

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivered a speech on Saturday outside the Presidential Office in Taipei to mark National Day, Al Jazeera reported. Speaking to thousands of people including foreign diplomats, Lai stated that Taiwan cherishes peace and will not give up its freedom. [1]

According to Al Jazeera, Lai emphasised that Taiwan is open to exchanges but will not accept subordination. He explained that increasing investment in national defence is aimed at deterring war rather than provoking conflict. Fighter jets and two Chinook helicopters carrying large flags flew over Taipei before the address, which marked the 115th anniversary of the holiday. [1]

Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China, lies in East Asia between the East and South China Seas. The Republic of China government moved to the island following its defeat by Communist forces in the Chinese Civil War from 1945 to 1949, leading to the creation of the People's Republic of China on the mainland. [2][3]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, international focus on security spending has remained high, with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently urging European nations in Athens to increase their own military budgets. [4]

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In short

President Lai Ching-te stated Taiwan is boosting defence spending to deter war.
The National Day speech took place outside the Presidential Office in Taipei.
Taiwanese fighter jets and Chinook helicopters performed a flyover before the speech.
National Day marked the 115th anniversary of the holiday.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

[1]Taiwan president says defence spending boost aims to ‘deter war’Al Jazeera, 1h ago (the report this story comes from)

Background

[2]Taiwan on Wikipedia
[3]Taiwan on Grokipedia
[4]Marco Rubio Urges European Allies to Increase Defence Spending in Athens FTMQ News, 2d ago

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 4 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

Earlier reports of ours on the same people and subjects.

Marco Rubio Urges European Allies to Increase Defence Spending in AthensTop Stories, 2d ago
Leucine Boosts Cellular Energy by Protecting Mitochondrial ProteinsHealth, 6d ago
Tralee Chamber says Budget 2027 fails to address rising business costsKillarney Ireland, 3d ago
France Shares Defence Documents With Italy Over 1980 Ustica CrashWorld News, 6d ago

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