this post was submitted on 26 Nov 2025
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Currently, Taiwan has set an increase in its defense budget to 3.3% of its GDP for 2026, allocating $949.5 billion Taiwan dollars ($31.18 billion). U.S. President Donald Trump has demanded Taiwan raise its defense spending to as much as 10% of GDP, a proportion well above what the U.S. or any of its major allies spend.

Lai had previewed the announcement in an op-ed for The Washington Post on Wednesday, saying the special budget would be used to purchase arms from the U.S. He told reporters Wednesday, however, that the budget has nothing to do with the government’s tariff negotiations with the U.S.

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[–] dogbert@lemmy.zip 30 points 1 day ago (2 children)

If anyone needed more proof that Taiwan is a glorified US military base, here it is lol.

[–] PolandIsAStateOfMind@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

It's not even glorified, not long ago there was a scandal where US sold them faulty supplies and equipment. Given that US MIC scalp vassals even worse than their own military, those 40 billion will likely not give them very much.

[–] falseWhite@piefed.world -5 points 1 day ago (4 children)

True. But I don't think they have much of a choice. Just a little guy caught between two bullies, China and the USA. Not sure which is better to side with for them. If they give up to China they basically lose their independence.

[–] BrainInABox@lemmy.ml 10 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Western liberals used to maintain that The West was noble and virtuous in order to maintain it's ongoing domination of the world. Once it became too hard to do that anymore without looking ridiculous, they simply shifted to asserting that all of the West's enemies are just as bad or worse.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 4 points 15 hours ago

Rules based world order? Rules for thee, not mee apparently. The Ukraine War is the official end of nuclear non proliferation. Get nukes or get fucked.

[–] gary_host_laptop@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

The ROC doesn't want independence, they claim that the mainland belongs to them, essentially they share the same posture, there is one China, it's just a difference of who rules. The bourgeoisie, or the proletariat.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 4 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

No one should rule. The working class should discard the artifical borders dividing us against ourselves.

[–] Grapho@lemmy.ml 3 points 15 hours ago

Eventually, sure. But we're not at a place politically where that is feasible or even desirable.

[–] dogbert@lemmy.zip 17 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They aren’t caught between anything. Taiwan is very much aligned with western imperial countries. It’s basically an island that all the wealthy capitalists ran away to after China imposed economic democracy. They love America and America loves them.

[–] kindred@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)
[–] RiverRock@lemmy.ml 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

They are not thinking of those places, but it is kind of helpful of you to point out other countries where the US empire has repeated the same strategy

[–] kindred@lemmy.dbzer0.com -2 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

US empire and wealthy capitalists aren't the same thing, although their interests sometimes align.

All the billionaires in Taiwan are Taiwanese.

Wealthy capitalists, if they're not based in the US, have moved to those places, not to Taiwan.

[–] RiverRock@lemmy.ml 9 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Genuinely, without snark, check out the term comprador

[–] kindred@lemmy.dbzer0.com -3 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

An intermediary.

A native of a colonised country who acts as the agent of the coloniser.

I don't get the point you're trying to make.

I said the wealthy capitalists went to not!Taiwan because the billionaires in Taiwan were already there.

Who is or is not a comprador has nothing to do with where wealthy capitalists relocate.

[–] RiverRock@lemmy.ml 1 points 14 hours ago

I don't get the point you're trying to make

Then you're trying very hard not to get it. Try harder, I believe in you👍

[–] BrainInABox@lemmy.ml 4 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

"Vichy France isn't part of the Nazi empire, because it's French"

[–] kindred@lemmy.dbzer0.com -3 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I was saying that the billionaires were not moving to the island of Taiwan.

You're talking about US Empire, which, as mentioned in my other responses in this thread, is irrelevant to the physical movements of billionaires.

Even if Taiwan declared itself to be US Empire island #76, it would not change the fact that billionaires did not move to the island of Taiwan.

[–] BrainInABox@lemmy.ml 1 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I was saying that the billionaires were not moving to the island of Taiwan.

Man, you really are a dishonest little troll aren't you: "oh I was just saying this thing completely unrelated to the topic at hand. Oh, you thought I had a point? Nope, just making random statements for no reason."

Fuck off

[–] kindred@lemmy.dbzer0.com -2 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

This was the statement I was responding to:

It’s basically an island that all the wealthy capitalists ran away to after China imposed economic democracy.

Here was my response :

Wealthy capitalists, if they're not based in the US, have moved to [Singapore (or Switzerland, or the UAE)], not to Taiwan.

Where was what I said dishonest or irrelevant?

Edit: reorganized for legibility

[–] BrainInABox@lemmy.ml 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

They obviously meant the wealthy capitalists from China I think it's pretty clear that you're playing dumb on purpose.

[–] kindred@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

Wealthy capitalists, if they're not based in the US

Are you talking about this part? If so, what I was saying was that billionaires moved to either the US or the three countries I mentioned.

That means the billionaires from China also did not move to Taiwan.

You can also look at the wiki for Taiwan's billionaires. Only one was born in China and not Taiwan (Hong Kong, specifically), and I'm pretty sure he moved to Taiwan way before the events we're taking about in this thread.

[–] BrainInABox@lemmy.ml 1 points 12 hours ago

Lol, I thought you were blocking me, you coward. Felt you needed to get the last word in first?

[–] dogbert@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 day ago (2 children)

USA has something like 800 army bases located outside the USA. No other country has even 1 I believe. South Korea is another country that is essentially a US proxy state.

[–] Edie@lemmy.ml 3 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

China has a naval one in Djibouti.

[–] kindred@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 23 hours ago (2 children)

I was talking about the wealthy capitalists

It’s basically an island that all the wealthy capitalists ran away to after China imposed economic democracy.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 7 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

You mean they imposed economic dictatorship where capitalist own businesses and decide how they operate in autocratic manner. Economic democracy would be literally the opposite of capitalism where you have publicly owned industry and worker cooperatives where workers are able to exercise democratic control.

[–] dogbert@lemmy.zip 1 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

My bad. I see what you mean now.

[–] kindred@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 22 hours ago

I think I see what you mean about Taiwan as a proxy state for the US.

I don't think they see themselves as that, but they do basically owe their continued independence from China to the fact that the US values them as a pawn in the battle for global power.

[–] mrdown@lemmy.world -1 points 1 day ago

What if the USA backstab them like it did with Ukrqine under Trump?