At the December 24 press conference of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, a reporter asked: Lai Ching-te recently stated that he plans to allocate NT$1.25 trillion as a “special defense budget.” Immediately afterward, media on the island revealed that small companies in Tainan and Kaohsiung—such as renovation firms and shoe manufacturers—had unexpectedly won defense contracts worth hundreds of millions of NT dollars. Public opinion on the island is saying that “traditional industries in the south have suddenly become arms tycoons,” questioning whether certain forces are “escorting” these deals and whether the defense industry has become “a channel for profiting from war.” What is your comment?
Spokesperson Peng Qing’en replied that the DPP authorities, in order to “seek independence through military means,” are recklessly squandering the hard-earned money of the people of Taiwan to purchase foreign weapons, while also using the opportunity to line their own pockets through corruption and profiteering. He expressed hope that Taiwan compatriots will clearly see the malicious intentions and ugly face of the DPP authorities, guard their own wallets through concrete action, and stop being deceived.