Taiwan parliament rejects government military drone plan, passes own version
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- Taiwan's parliament rejected the government's T$210 billion ($6.6 billion) special drone budget on Thursday and passed its own T$240 billion plan over six years, with annual spending set at T$40 billion in principle but adjustable upward if needed.
- Premier Cho Jung-tai declined to commit to signing the legislation, saying he would evaluate whether the passed bill meets needs for defense self-reliance and the domestic drone and unmanned vehicle industry.
- Taiwan's defense ministry expressed regret, saying the government's plan had been formulated after "in-depth" internal assessments and coordination with unnamed "allied nations," while Defence Minister Wellington Koo warned the T$40 billion annual cap would prevent effective drone capability buildup since the ministry already planned T$42.1 billion in drone spending for 2027 alone.
- KMT lawmaker Hsu Chiao-hsin defended the opposition's alternative as ensuring proper oversight, arguing the government "cannot simply come asking for money every time without any oversight."
- DPP lawmaker Fan Yun cautioned that given the opposition's months-long delay of this year's general budget, next year's review could face similar gridlock, creating "enormous uncertainty" for both industry development and urgent national defense needs.
- The United States has strongly backed Taiwan's plans to develop military drones, according to the report.
- The government originally justified its faster, larger plan by citing the wars in Ukraine and Iran as evidence of uncrewed weapons' importance amid China's territorial claims on the island.
Why it matters: Defence Minister Koo's own warning — that the opposition's T$40 billion annual cap is already insufficient given T$42.1 billion planned for 2027 alone — exposes the core tension: the KMT-controlled legislature reframed a $6.6 billion proposal as a T$240 billion package spread over six years, but its annual ceiling could constrain drone procurement from year one. The ruling DPP's warning of repeated budget delays adds a procedural risk that could slow Taiwan's asymmetric deterrence buildup against China.
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