January 11, 2008:
Taiwan has increased
its defense budget by 12 percent, to $10.5 billion a year. Some of the
additional money is going to buy more Patriot anti-missile missiles, Apache
AH-64 helicopter gunships, P-3 maritime search aircraft and S-2 airborne radar
surveillance aircraft. All that stuff is from the United States. Taiwan is also
buying more locally produced weapons, like the new Hsiung Feng 2E cruise
missiles. Many Taiwanese believe that it's not enough, while other feel that
it's too much, and just antagonizes the Chinese.