Taiwan's lack of seriousness re defense spending might lead observers, disinterested and otherwise, to think they don't give a damn. If they don't give damn, why should anyone else care? This is especially true of Uncle Sam, who will have to bear most of the weight of any military assistance to Taiwan in the event China invades. On the one hand, you have Israel, whose only opposition is Arabs, who have been repeatedly defeated, spending big money on preparing for Armageddon. On the other, you have Taiwan, whose military was swept off the Chinese mainland ~70 years ago, trundling along on a piddling defense budget without a care in the world.