TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — KMT Culture and Communications Committee Chair Chen I-hsin (陳以信) rejected a report Tuesday alleging the party had received instructions from Beijing on how to handle the Cabinet's military drone bill, calling on Liberty Times to verify its reporting.
Liberty Times reported Friday that Chinese officials contacted Taiwan's opposition in May to express dissatisfaction after opposition lawmakers approved the NT$780 billion (US$24 billion) special defense budget. The newspaper alleged that China's Taiwan Affairs Office urged Taiwan's opposition not to allow the DPP government to restore items cut from its original NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget proposal through other means, saying doing so would undermine China's strategic advantage in the Taiwan Strait.
Liberty Times also alleged that Chinese officials contacted Taiwan's opposition through a business representative in Taipei in June. According to the newspaper, Beijing asked the opposition to steer Taiwan's drone industry toward civilian applications, delay passage of the drone bill until after a possible meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in September or October, and allow Taiwanese businesspeople operating in China and related companies to participate in developing Taiwan's "non-red" drone supply chain.
Chen denied the allegations, saying the KMT's version of the bill strikes a balance between civilian and military drone development, per CNA. He said the legislation includes provisions for military drone procurement and is moving through the legislature at a rapid pace, with a public hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Chen also said the KMT bill prohibits the use of hardware and software supplied by companies on the Cabinet's list of high-risk vendors.
Former KMT Disciplinary Committee Chair and attorney Yeh Ching-yuan (葉慶元) said news organizations should verify their reporting or risk legal liability, per UDN. He added that the KMT's lawsuit against the Liberty Times over an earlier report alleging the party received instructions from Beijing to block the special defense budget remains pending.
After the report was published Friday, Chen said the newspaper had not sought the KMT's response before publication and described the allegations as slander, per FTNN. KMT Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said the caucus was prepared to pursue legal action, adding that the party has no direct communication channel with the CCP, per Liberty Times.
DPP lawmakers also commented on the allegations. DPP Legislative Caucus Secretary-General Chuang Jui-hsiung (莊瑞雄) said the three reported requests would all benefit Beijing, per Tai Sounds.
Chuang explained that limiting drone development to civilian applications and delaying the legislation would advance the CCP's interests, while allowing Taiwan businesses operating in China to participate in the non-red supply chain would reintroduce Chinese influence into the industry. He called on the opposition to explain its position if China had in fact made the reported requests.
DPP Legislator Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) commented on the KMT's threat to sue the Liberty Times, saying the party should publicly explain its drone policy instead of framing every question as a political dispute, per Liberty Times.
