TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is considering resubmitting a request to the Legislative Yuan for items removed by opposition legislators from a special defense budget.
Taiwan Cabinet Spokesperson Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said on Thursday that Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) is concerned about the impact those cuts will have on the military’s modernization efforts, Reuters reported. Legislators passed a NT$780 billion (US$24 billion) budget to be divided into two phases. The first phase has a maximum limit of NT$300 billion, while the second phase has a limit of NT$480 billion.
The budget will cover the procurement of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and other missiles and air defense systems. However, it does not include funds for domestic drone and AI development.
The Cabinet originally proposed a NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget.
Cho has asked the defense ministry to explore whether it should submit a request for the rejected items through a supplementary budget or expand the annual budget, Lee said, per Reuters. The premier told the Cabinet that the incomplete budget "seriously undermines the integrity of defense force building," according to Lee.
Lee said she believed China's military threat was "the sole source of insecurity in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region," per Reuters. "Continuously strengthening national defense and effective collective deterrence is the single most critical factor in ensuring regional peace and stability," she added.
Cho said on Monday that the issue goes beyond the budget itself, CNA reported. “What must be remedied are national security and defense needs, and what must be restored are the people’s confidence and the international community’s trust in Taiwan,” he said. “The government will definitely take action on this.”
In December, Washington approved a NT$347 billion arms sales package for Taiwan, which included HIMARS rocket systems, Javelin missiles, and Altius loitering munition drones. A second package valued at approximately NT$440 billion may be announced following Trump’s summit with Xi.
