TAIPEI: Taiwan's defence spending will rise 7.7 per cent next year, outpacing expected economic growth, the cabinet said on Thursday (Aug 22), as the island adds more fighter jets and missiles to strengthen deterrence against a rising threat from Beijing. China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past five years to assert those claims, which Taipei strongly rejects. Taiwan's cabinet said following a regular