Taiwan Defence Bill: Taiwan’s parliament has approved a new defence spending plan worth about $25 billion. The vote happened on Friday after months of angry talk between the ruling side and the opposition. The government had asked for a much bigger plan, but lawmakers passed a much smaller one instead. Reuters reported that the final amount was T$780 billion, or $24.86 billion, and that it was only about two-thirds of what President Lai Ching-te’s government wanted.
The original plan from Lai’s team was T$1.25 trillion, or $39.81 billion. That money was meant for both U.S. weapons and Taiwan-made gear such as drones. The government wanted the money to be spread over eight years. It would have been extra spending on top of the regular defence budget.
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Why The Fight Was So Big
The opposition Kuomintang, or KMT, and the Taiwan People’s Party, or TPP, said they would support only a reduced version. They said they wanted the money used only for American weapons. Reuters said the opposition pushed its own version because it felt the government plan was unclear and could open the door to corruption.
During the vote, 107 lawmakers were present and 59 voted yes. The parliamentary speaker then announced the result. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party, or DPP, said the opposition was hurting Taiwan’s defence plans and creating possible weak spots in security. One DPP statement said the cut was not just about money, but about Taiwan’s wider defence system and its promise to protect itself.
What The Parties And Outside Voices Said
KMT chairwoman Cheng Li-wun said the money passed was only for buying U.S. weapons. She also said Taiwan needs both strong defence and peace across the strait, and that she had visited China last month and met President Xi Jinping.
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The fight over the budget also showed some split inside the KMT itself. Earlier, Cheng had backed a smaller defence amount of NT$380 billion for U.S. weapons with room for more later. But after pressure from the United States grew, some senior KMT lawmakers asked for a much bigger defence plan.
Taiwan’s parliament has already approved government deals for four major U.S. weapons buys. These include M109A7 howitzers, Javelin missiles, TOW 2B missiles, and HIMARS rocket systems. These weapons make up nearly $9 billion of the $11.1 billion package announced by Washington in December.
Before the vote, KMT caucus leader Fu Kun-chi said the party was ready to support a second round of arms buying worth more than $15 billion. Taiwan’s defence ministry said that package would include Patriot missiles, Hellfire missiles, and counter-drone systems. U.S. officials had pressed Taiwan’s parliament to pass a more “comprehensive” defence budget.
Political experts said the result was mixed for Lai’s government. Lev Nachman of National Taiwan University called it a “huge blow to Lai.” Wen-Ti Sung said the KMT had shown enough support for U.S.-Taiwan security ties to calm Washington a bit, while also avoiding a bigger clash with Beijing.
The vote also comes just before a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. China still claims Taiwan as its own land and has warned the United States not to send more weapons to the island. Cheng recently also went to China and met Xi, and that she hopes to visit the United States in June
