China
Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index market ended lower Thursday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index down 0.34 percent to close at 25,565.74 points.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index dropped 0.51 percent to end at 8,490.31 points, and the Hang Seng Tech Index lost 0.13 percent to end at 4,620.29 points.
Hong Kong stocks close lower Thursday
Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have prioritized military buildup and defense budget increases at the expense of public resources and residents' daily livelihoods, Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang said at a press conference in Beijing on Thursday.
The DPP authorities are pushing the Taiwan region's defense budget to a record high of 1.1225 trillion New Taiwan dollars (about 35.2 billion U.S. dollars) in 2027, surpassing 1 trillion New Taiwan dollars for the first time. Out of the proposed 3.9 trillion New Taiwan dollars total budget for 2027, defense accounts for nearly 29 percent, according to media reports.
"The mainstream public opinion in Taiwan society is to pursue peace, development, communication and cooperation. The Lai Ching-te authorities, driven by their own selfish interests and going against the overwhelming tide, have been desperately catering to and pleasing external forces, ramping up military buildup by squandering the hard-earned money of the public, which has greatly undermined the well-being of the people in Taiwan. They will eventually deplete Taiwan's resources and face an inevitable fate of downfall," Zhang said in response to a related question.
Taiwan's DPP authorities squeeze people's livelihoods for military buildup: military spokesman
