TAIPEI (Reuters) : Taiwan’s Cabinet will propose a 16 per cent annual rise in defence spending for 2027 which will for the first time exceed NT$1 trillion (US$31 billion), the official Central News Agency reported on Sunday (Aug 9), as Taipei bolsters its military. But Taiwan also faces calls from Washington to spend more on its own defence, mirroring pressure from the United States on Europe. China’s military operates almost daily around Taiwan, and holds periodic war games, the last in late December. China is also rapidly modernising its armed forces, with new aircraft carriers, stealth fighter jets and missiles. In March, China unveiled a rise of 7 per cent in this year’s defence spending, to 1.91 trillion yuan ($283.08 billion).