TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The ruling Democratic Progressive Party criticized an arms procurement bill proposed by the Taiwan People’s Party on Monday, warning that changes to the draft could undermine defense planning and risk leaks of classified information.

The DPP caucus said the TPP version of the proposed defense special act deletes references to a “non-China supply chain” and the “Taiwan Dome,” per CNA. It described the terms as essential to Taiwan’s defense self-reliance and integrated air defense planning.

The criticism came after the TPP caucus unveiled its version of the defense bill at a press conference earlier in the day.

The Cabinet in November approved its own version of a defense procurement special act, proposing an eight-year budget of NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.68 billion), per RTI. However, the bill has been blocked by opposition parties from being sent to committee since early December.

DPP caucus whip Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said defense procurement involves classified information. He argued that such legislation should be proposed by the Cabinet and then subject to legislative oversight, rather than drafted independently by opposition parties.

DPP Legislator Shen Po-yang (沈伯洋) said the TPP bill was shorter but less precise than the Cabinet’s version, adding that removing the non-China supply chain concept undermines cooperation with allies. He also warned that listing procurement amounts directly in the bill could expose sensitive information.

Chung questioned the source of the figures included in the TPP draft. He noted that procurement amounts were not disclosed in publicly releasable materials from recent classified legislative briefings.