TAIPEI, May 8 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament approved extra defence spending of $25 billion on Friday, or just about two-thirds of the amount sought by the government to bolster the armed forces in the face of a rapidly modernising Chinese military.
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te had wanted a T$1.25 trillion ($39.81 billion) supplementary defence package approved, including money for U.S. arms but also for domestically made equipment such as drones to increase deterrence against China, which views the island as its own territory.
But the opposition, which has the most seats in parliament, passed its own version of the spending package worth T$780 billion ($24.86 billion), saying the government proposals were unclear and could lead to corruption.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party expressed regret that the opposition had ignored repeated explanations by the defence ministry, not only limiting Taiwan’s defence capabilities but potentially creating security gaps.
“This is not merely a discount on the dollar amount — it is a discount on Taiwan’s comprehensive defence system, and a discount on Taiwan’s declaration to the world of its commitment to self-defence,” party spokesperson Lee Kun-cheng said in a statement.
Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), told reporters the spending passed was exclusively for buying U.S. weapons.
“Taiwan’s national security must stand firmly on two legs. One is a sufficiently strong defence capability, and the other is the unceasing effort and determination to pursue cross-strait peace,” added Cheng, who visited China last month and met President Xi Jinping.
U.S. SUPPORT FOR DEFENCE SPENDING
The United States has strongly backed Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, to spend more on its defences.
Its top diplomat in Taiwan pressed parliament last week to pass a “comprehensive” defence budget, saying integrated air and missile defence systems and drones were critically important and in high demand globally.
In December, Washington announced an $11 billion arms sales package for Taiwan, the largest ever.
A second package worth around $14 billion could be announced once U.S. President Donald Trump gets back from next week’s trip to China, Reuters has previously reported.
Speaking at a forum in Taipei on Friday organised by Taiwan think tank CAPRI, Matt Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser in Trump’s first administration, said deterrence means having a capability to defend oneself.
“As people in Taiwan politics are talking about negotiations with China, I don’t have any problem with that. But you want to do that from a position of strength,” he said.
($1=31.3970 Taiwan dollars)
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Roger Tung, Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Kate Mayberry)
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