TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Tuesday reiterated that Taiwan’s military will prioritize domestic sourcing of long shelf-life bottled water for its strategic reserves.

Koo said the project is still in the budgeting phase but clarified that the Ministry of National Defense will not import all its bottled water from overseas, per Tai Sounds. He stressed that local suppliers would be considered whenever possible.

The statement came in response to KMT Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君), who proposed cutting NT$800 million (US$26.1 million) from the special budget for acquiring bottled water with a shelf life of five to seven years, per Tai Sounds. Ma argued that since Taiwan is not deploying forces overseas and has abundant water resources, bottled water with a one- to two-year shelf life should suffice.

Ma acknowledged that long-lasting bottled water is necessary for outlying islands such as Kinmen and Penghu but questioned the scale of the proposed procurement. She noted that a 500 milliliter bottle with a five-year shelf life costs an estimated NT$120, about 15 times more than the NT$8 bottles currently purchased by the military — 10 times higher than in previous years.

Ministry spokesperson Lieutenant General Sun Li-fang (孫立方) responded Thursday by saying the bottled water currently stocked by the armed forces has only a one-year shelf life, per CNA. He argued that from a combat readiness standpoint, five years should be the minimum standard.

Koo added that because the water is intended for use only in wartime scenarios and not consumed during peacetime, replacing it annually would defeat the purpose of maintaining a strategic reserve, per UDN. He also emphasized the need to ensure water supply continuity in case enemy forces disrupt civilian infrastructure.

During the press conference, reporters questioned the NT$120-per-bottle price, pointing out that similar water is available online in Japan for NT$38, per Newtalk. Major General Chen I-chih (陳益志), director of the Logistics Administration Department, explained the budget figure also accounts for import costs.

Chen said that inquiries have confirmed local manufacturers can produce water with a five-year shelf life. He emphasized that final procurement prices would be determined through a standard bidding process.

Experts note that long shelf-life bottled water requires stricter production standards, including thicker plastic containers, advanced filtration, and disinfection of the bottle seal immediately before closing, all of which significantly increase costs, per EBC.