Taiwan must pass defence spending to avoid giving wrong impression, president says

TAIPEI - If Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament continues to block $40 billion in proposed extra defence spending the international community could misunderstand the island's determination to defend itself, President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday.Pressure from politicians in the United States, Chinese-claimed ‌Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties, has grown on parliament not to hold up defence spending.On Monday, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Armed Services ⁠Committee and ‌one of the strongest advocat…READ FULL ARTICLE