Taiwan sharply boosts defense budget

Taiwan yesterday unveiled its largest defence spending increase in more than a decade amid rising military tensions with its giant neighbour China, which considers the self-ruled island its own and has not renounced the use of force against it. President Tsai Ing-wen's cabinet signed off on an 8.3% increase in military spending for the year starting January to T$411.3 billion ($13.11 billion), its largest yearly gain since 2008.