Mainland criticizes Taiwan's large-scale military spending bill

A Chinese defense spokesman on Monday criticized the newly approved large-scale special military procurement bill in Taiwan as a "blood-sucking bill" pushed by the Democratic Progressive Party authorities that "squeezes people and hollows out public welfare".

Defense Ministry spokesman Jiang Bin made the remarks at an online news briefing after some DPP politicians claimed the bill was intended to meet urgent needs for arms purchases from the United States.

According to media reports, the spending cap for the bill was sharply reduced from the initial around $40 billion to about $25 billion.

Jiang said the DPP authorities have ignored people's hardships and the reality that young people on the island are unwilling to go to war for "Taiwan independence", while insisting on using the people's hard-earned money to curry favor with external forces.

He accused the DPP authorities of turning themselves into an ATM for foreign arms dealers, saying their retrogressive actions have no public support.

Jiang stressed that arms purchases cannot bring security, and willingly acting as a "chess piece" for external forces will only lead to exploitation.

National reunification and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are the strongest guarantees for Taiwan's security, the spokesman said.

The more the DPP authorities seek "independence" through military means and by relying on external forces, the faster they will accelerate the demise of "Taiwan independence", Jiang warned.