Taiwan opposition blocks US$40 billion defence budget, prompting protests from ruling DPP

Taiwan’s opposition lawmakers have blocked a proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget from being placed on the agenda for review this week. The suspension on Tuesday prompted angry protests from the ruling independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), injecting fresh uncertainty into Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te’s ambitious military modernisation plan. The legislature’s procedure committee voted down Lai’s government’s request to schedule the bill for a plenary session on Friday after the main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) joined forces to suspend its inclusion. The move means the eight-year spending package – approved by the cabinet last week after initial consultations with the United States – cannot yet be forwarded to the relevant committees for review. DPP lawmakers accused the opposition of helping Beijing by blocking a major air-defence investment at a time of mounting pressure from mainland China. They surrounded the podium and shouted: “Taiwan needs security, not another Wu Sangui!” Wu Sangui was a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) general who defected to the Manchus, allowing them to conquer Beijing. He is seen as a symbol of betrayal, which led to the downfall of the Ming dynasty and the founding of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911). The KMT and TPP insisted Lai’s government was seeking a “blank cheque” and must first disclose full details of its procurement plans and strategic rationale. The Lai administration proposed placing the NT$1.25 trillion special act on procurement for improving defence, resilience and asymmetric capabilities on Friday’s agenda. The bill would fund a suite of programmes from 2026 to 2033, including precision artillery, long-range missiles, drone systems, counter-drone platforms and advanced command-and-control technologies. Opposition lawmakers argued that the cabinet had not explained what it intended to buy, how the funds would be used or how the new systems would integrate into Taiwan’s existing defence posture. KMT caucus convenor Fu Kun-chi said Lai’s government was “asking the public to approve a massive defence budget without knowing what weapons are being purchased”. He said the island’s leader must brief lawmakers before any vote could proceed. “We support defending Taiwan,” Fu said. “But not extravagant or opaque arms deals, and not policies that risk turning Taiwan into the next Ukraine.” Lai last week used an opinion piece in The Washington Post and a press conference in Taipei to unveil what he called a historic supplementary defence budget intended to “underscore our commitment to defending Taiwan’s democracy”. TPP chairman Huang Kuo-chang said the Lai administration had been “completely non-transparent”, with details surfacing only through media reports. Local media said the military and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the de facto American embassy, were preparing nine letters of request to be submitted to Washington, including one for the procurement of a fourth Patriot PAC-3 air-defence unit equipped with the US Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS). Taiwan’s nine existing Patriot battalions would also be upgraded to the US configuration as part of Lai’s plan to develop a “Taiwan Shield” or “T-Dome” – a multilayered air- and missile-defence network supported by artificial intelligence (AI) tools and strengthened command-and-control infrastructure. Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary. It has ramped up pressure on Taiwan since Lai took office last year. Most countries, including the US, its main international partner, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. However, Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is legally bound to supply it with weapons to defend itself. Taiwanese Defence Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung said on Monday that Taipei had already held initial consultations with the United States about the NT$1.2 trillion spending plan, though he declined to elaborate before the Pentagon formally notified the US Congress. The sweeping budget has drawn criticism from opposition lawmakers, who argue that the process lacks transparency and that Taiwan is relying too heavily on US guidance. KMT lawmaker Ma Wen-chun accused Lai’s government of allowing US officials to dictate procurement priorities. “This is not cooperation; this is taking orders,” she said. “Taiwan’s defence needs should be determined by Taiwan. We cannot become a procurement window that buys whatever the US tells us to buy.” She pointed to comments from Lieutenant General Huang Wen-chi, head of the defence ministry’s strategic planning department, who recently told lawmakers that Taiwan’s drone purchases were “all planned by the US according to Taiwan’s battlefield environment”. KMT legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin also questioned why the government had yet to explain how locally developed missile systems would integrate with US platforms under the “Taiwan Shield”. “There is still no answer,” she said. “Raising the budget is necessary, but it must have a limit.” TPP chairman Huang said the AIT had approached his caucus a month ago to ask whether they supported the special budget for arms procurements, yet the government had disclosed “nothing at all”. “How can anyone answer responsibly when we don’t even know how much the plan costs or what is being bought?” he said. Military experts said the special budget marked a needed shift towards joint operations, but that Taiwan’s air-defence structure – a patchwork of US and indigenous systems – remained insufficiently integrated. “Taiwan may possess many missiles but lacks unified command structures across high-, medium- and low-altitude layers,” said Ying-yu Lin, a professor of international relations and strategic studies at Tamkang University in New Taipei City. However, Su Tzu-yun, a senior analyst at the government-funded Institute for National Defence and Security Research in Taipei, said Lai’s “Taiwan Shield” was designed to build an AI-enabled “T-Dome” linking all radars and firing units. “It gives Taiwan far-seeing eyes and many hands – able to detect and engage every incoming threat,” he said.

Taiwan opposition blocks US$40 billion defence budget, prompting protests from ruling DPP

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}KMT and TPP say William Lai’s government is seeking a ‘blank cheque’ and demand details of procurement plans before proposal can be reviewed

KMT and TPP say William Lai’s government is seeking a ‘blank cheque’ and demand details of procurement plans before proposal can be reviewed