President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday announced a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.9 billion) special defense budget, which includes funding for a “Taiwan dome” air defense system with high-level detection and interception capabilities.

The funds would be allocated over eight years from next year to 2033, he told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei.

Lai has previously pledged to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP as part of an ongoing strategy amid China’s threats of invasion.