Taiwan opens large arms fair

Defence spending draws foreign firms

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Taiwan opened its largest arms fair yesterday, with about double its previous number of exhibitors, as firms flock for a slice of the island's increased defence spending at a time when it is looking to expand international military cooperation.

Democratically-governed Taiwan is racing to bolster its armed forces as China, which views the island as its own territory, steps up military pressure by staging war games and regularly sending warplanes and warships into nearby areas.

Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing's territorial claims, has set a goal of spending 5% of its GDP on defence by 2030, up from 3.3% for next year.

The Taipei Aerospace and Defence Technology Exhibition features 490 exhibitors at 1,500 booths, up from 275 exhibitors at about 960 booths in 2023, when it was last held.