TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwanese living in Europe signed a petition calling on Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and the Legislative Yuan to support Taiwan’s defense, reports said Saturday.

The document, signed by 642 petitioners, was handed over in London after the annual convention of the Council of Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Europe, per CNA. Han did not take personal delivery of the document, but referred the petitioners to his secretary.

The KMT politician was leading a multiparty delegation of lawmakers to visit France and the UK during the May 9-17 trip. In addition to Han, the group counted four members each from the KMT and the DPP, and one from the TPP.

The European Federation of Taiwanese Associations launched the petition on May 9, with the campaign period finishing Friday noon London time. Sixteen groups backed the action, while 397 of the 642 signatories preferred to remain anonymous. Taiwan needed to show the world it was willing to shoulder its own defense against the threat of authoritarianism, the document said.

The opposition majority on May 8 passed the KMT-backed NT$780 billion (US$24 billion) special defense budget plan instead of the NT$1.25 trillion budget proposed by the government.

As a result, concern emerged that Taiwan would be unable to make a down payment of NT$800 million for the HIMARS rocket systems required by the end of the month. The Cabinet is planning to hold an extra session on May 20 to move the HIMARS issue forward, CNA reported Saturday.