TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) on Wednesday addressed the party’s internal dispute over the proposed special defense budget, stressing the importance of Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) from the US.
Speaking during a KMT Central Committee meeting, Cheng said the party’s proposal of NT$380 billion (US$12 billion) plus future LOAs was intended to ensure the funding would be used solely for arms purchases, per UDN.
She added that after receiving feedback from TPP Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), KMT lawmakers and Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), she would work to more clearly define what could be added to the NT$380 billion proposal.
KMT Legislative Caucus Convener Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) echoed Cheng’s position, saying the party would support LOAs submitted by the US while insisting defense procurement budgets should not include unrelated items, per UDN.
KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), who proposed an NT$800 billion defense package, said the party still needs to define what could be added to the NT$380 billion proposal, per UP Media. She said the final amount could ultimately match either her proposal or another NT$770 billion proposal, but argued there should be an upper limit on additional spending.
The dispute over the defense budget has exposed divisions within the KMT in recent weeks. Cheng said the smaller proposal has majority support within the caucus, while KMT lawmakers Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) and Ko Chih-en (柯志恩) argued the NT$800 billion proposal has broader backing, per Newtalk.
New Taipei Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) also weighed in, urging the KMT to present a proposal as soon as possible. He said, “There is no way to talk about peace without the ability to protect Taiwan,” per Newtalk.
Separately, the New Party reported Hsu to the Control Yuan and the KMT disciplinary committee over an alleged violation of the Lobbying Act. The party said Hsu and eight other lawmakers who supported the NT$800 billion proposal had met with US arms manufacturers.
The New Party argued that defense-related matters should not be subject to lobbying and said lawmakers involved should have formally disclosed the meetings to the Legislative Yuan within seven days, per Tai Sounds.
