Taiwanese leader Lai Ching-te’s recently announced security action plan is drawing sharp criticism from prominent mainland Chinese state academics, who interpret the initiative as an attempt to accelerate formal separation from China through enhanced military capabilities and foreign support, potentially inflicting severe damage on the island’s stability and welfare. The condemnation, voiced in Beijing on November 28, 2025, centers on a substantial defense spending increase and perceived alignment with external forces, which analysts assert destabilizes cross-Strait relations and challenges regional peace.
Increased Military Budget Fuels Concern
The focal point of Beijing’s concern is the proposal for an additional NT$1.25 trillion (approximately US$40 billion) in defense spending. Li Zhenguang, a professor specializing in Taiwan affairs at Beijing Union University, stated that this significant financial commitment poses an immediate and grave challenge to the prospects of cross-Strait stability and peaceful coexistence.
Further exacerbating these concerns, Chen Guiqing, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Taiwan Studies, detailed how the plan outlines comprehensive military preparations. These include elevating the defense budget’s share of national expenditure, streamlining mechanisms for weapons procurement, and strategically developing an indigenous defense industry, characterizing these actions as serving a separatist agenda.
Chen issued a strong caution regarding the economic ramifications of this defense expansion, arguing that the expanded outlay would inevitably divert critical resources away from essential public services. He warned that funding for livelihoods, education, and healthcare would be squeezed, ultimately deteriorating the welfare and quality of life for Taiwan’s residents.
Challenging International Order and Stability
Mainland academics also framed Lai’s security strategy within the context of geopolitical stability. Chen argued that the systemic pursuit of “Taiwan independence” has already destabilized relations across the Strait, openly contradicting the globally recognized one-China principle and challenging the established international order maintained since the end of the Second World War, thereby heightening regional uncertainty and risk.
Wang Yingjin, director of the Cross-Strait Relations Research Centre at Renmin University of China, suggested that the timing and design of Lai’s plan appear calculated to resonate with recent statements made by external actors, referencing what he termed “erroneous comments” by figures like Japanese politician Sanae Takaichi, suggesting a deliberate coordination with forces seeking to interfere in cross-Strait affairs.
Wang also posited that Lai’s strategy may be internally motivated, aiming to stoke division across the Strait to solidify and entrench his political standing. This, Wang contends, runs counter to the broader public sentiment in Taiwan, where he claims most residents prioritize stable economic development and improved living standards over political confrontation.
Prioritizing Politics Over Public Welfare
The prevailing view among these mainland scholars is that by prioritizing political ambitions characterized as separatist over the immediate public well-being, Taiwan’s leader risks guiding the island down a path fraught with severe consequences for its populace. The analysts collectively warn that the move enhances regional military tensions and carries a high domestic cost, potentially undermining the economic stability most Taiwanese citizens desire.
The development signals an intensified conceptual division regarding future cross-Strait relations, suggesting that the increase in defense spending will likely serve as a continued point of diplomatic and military contention in the coming year. Stakeholders across the Asia-Pacific region will closely monitor how this substantial shift in Taiwan’s security posture influences diplomatic engagement and regional power dynamics.