Just Published: "Taiwan Defence & Security Report Q1 2015"

Taiwan's defence capabilities continue to fall behind those of Beijing, despite a steadily increasing budget. This has pushed the Ma administration towards a domestically controversial approach of diplomacy and engagement towards China. Moves to disband conscription and establish an all-volunteer force have been delayed and will ultimately be difficult to implement.

On the one hand, Taiwan's decision to scale back its armed forces in combination with a significant decline in defence imports may point to closer integration with China. Indeed, in Q114 China and Taiwan held the first government-to-government talks in 65 years, a highly symbolic development that builds on the earlier successes of Ma's government, despite the generally negative reaction domestically. On the other hand, these cutbacks may signify an increased reliance on a US counterbalance to China's rise. Taiwan's various defence and security ties with the US reinforce the predominance of this relationship for Taipei.

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Taiwan continues to be extremely dependent on the US for the procurement of its defence equipment. A current priority for the Taiwanese military is the upgrade of its existing fleet of F-16 fighter jets, but this upgrade has proven difficult to agree and has been repeatedly delayed. Other procurement priorities include an early warning missile defence system, a direct countermeasure to Chinese aggression and the modernisation of the country's submarine fleet. Submarine procurement has encountered US resistance, but other partners are not available and domestic capabilities are currently insufficient.

Despite these substantial investments, the value of Taiwan's total defence imports fell in 2013. Part of the reason for this is the improved capacity of domestic defence manufacturers to meet the needs of Taiwan's armed forces. For instance, in Q114 the Taiwanese Air Force unveiled locally developed air-to-ground stand-off weapons developed for the nation's F-CK-1 Indigenous...

The Taiwan Defence & Security Report features Business Monitor International (BMI)'s independent forecasts for national and international security, the defence industry, military expenditure, employment in arms production, and arms imports and exports, as well as examining industry trends and prospects, national and multinational arms producers and the regulatory environment.

BMI's Taiwan Defence & Security Report provides professionals, consultancies, government departments, regulatory bodies and researchers with independent forecasts and regional competitive intelligence on the Taiwanese defence and security industry.

Key Benefits

* Benchmark BMI's independent defence and security industry forecasts on Taiwan to test other views - a key input for successful budgetary and strategic business planning in the Taiwanese defence and security market.

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