President Tsai had asked for an additional $40 billion in defense spending to better deter China, which considers the democratic island its own territory and has increased military pressure. However, due to delays by opposition parties, the Parliament only approved two-thirds of the requested funds, allocated exclusively to American armaments at the expense of other projects such as national drone and missile development.
The opposition stated they support defense efforts but would not sign blank checks, citing vague proposals that could potentially lead to corruption. A State Department spokesperson said the US supports Taiwan acquiring critical defense capabilities proportional to the threat the island faces and consistent with past US administrations.
The US is Taiwan’s main international supporter and arms supplier, despite no official diplomatic ties, and has strongly supported increased military spending. Beijing has repeatedly demanded an end to arms sales. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry clarified that the approved spending excludes certain commercial purchases, which may create capability gaps in the face of an escalating severe threat environment.
One of the excluded projects is the Chiang Kung anti-ballistic missile, part of Taiwan’s new air defense system ‘T-Dome’. Failure to acquire it would severely compromise combat effectiveness. Lack of approval for drone systems, including naval attack drones, will significantly delay asymmetric warfare capabilities and impact planned economic growth and job opportunities in the national industry, the ministry stated.
President Tsai welcomed the approved funding for equipment purchases like Lockheed Martin’s HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system but noted it’s just the first step. Any gaps will affect the integrity of the overall defense system. Any delays will increase shared security risks for the Taiwanese people, he added on Facebook.
