TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s political parties held a fourth round of negotiations on the special defense budget bill Wednesday but failed to reach a consensus.
The ruling DPP and opposition KMT and TPP failed to agree on procurement items and the total budget cap, CNA reported. TPP caucus convener Chen Ching-lung (陳清龍) said that while the party remains committed to strengthening national defense, the defense ministry’s reported procurement figures shifted by as much as NT$60 billion (US$1.91 billion) in a single month.
Chen criticized the DPP for refusing to budge on the NT$1.25 trillion ceiling. He argued that certain commercial purchases should be included in the annual general budget rather than the special budget, per CNA.
KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) reaffirmed that all parties agree on the need to solidify Taiwan’s defenses. He said the KMT strongly supports US arms sales as long as they are "responsible procurements" backed by US government guarantees and official letters of offer and acceptance (LOAs).
However, Fu questioned why there was an NT$700 billion backlog of weapons that had been paid for but not yet delivered, according to CNA. He called on the defense ministry and the DPP to clarify the backlog.
DPP caucus convener Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) argued that the defense ministry has repeatedly explained why the arms are essential for Taiwan’s protection. Tsai emphasized that the special budget is also vital for developing Taiwan’s domestic defense industry.
Many precision machining companies in central and southern Taiwan are ready to contribute, Tsai said. He argued that slashing the budget from NT$1.25 trillion to NT$800 billion would eliminate the possibility of developing a self-reliant defense industry, CNA reported.
There are currently three versions of the bill. The Cabinet’s bill has a budget cap of NT$1.25 trillion.
The TPP bill proposes a cap of NT$400 billion, while the KMT bill allocates NT$380 billion along with additional funding tied to future LOAs.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said that since no agreement was reached, the case will be handled according to standard legislative procedure. As the bill has already surpassed its one-month "cooling period" for negotiations, it could be brought to the floor for a vote as early as May 8, Han said.
Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi (黃文啓), director of the defense ministry’s Strategic Planning Department, reminded the Legislative Yuan on Wednesday that Taiwan must meet a May 31 deadline to submit an initial down payment for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems. If it fails to do so, the procurement case will be canceled, and Taiwan will have to restart the entire process.
