TAIPEI: Taiwan’s main opposition party said on Thursday (Mar 5) it will back more than US$11 billion in special funding for US weapons purchases and left the door open to more acquisitions, but insisted it will not write a “blank cheque” for the government.
Taiwan has spent billions upgrading its defences as China increases military pressure on the island, which Beijing claims is part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force.
Under US pressure to spend more, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s government has proposed US$40 billion in funding for critical defence purchases, including US arms, over eight years.
But the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), which together control parliament, have stalled Lai’s proposal and instead drawn up their own stripped-down versions of the spending bill.
The KMT said it proposed allocating more than US$11 billion to cover the cost of US arms sales announced in December and pledged to review further weapons purchases once they were approved by US Congress.
The KMT initially announced “NT$350 billion + n” in proposed spending, but hours later increased that to “NT$380 billion + n” without offering a clear explanation for the change.
“CONTRADICTIONS”
The TPP previously proposed US$12.6 billion for military purchases. The three spending bills will be sent to a parliamentary committee for review on Friday.
“We hope to advance arms procurement through a phased, concrete, and clearly defined approach, rather than granting a one-off authorisation, a blank cheque with no spending cap and no detailed content,” KMT caucus secretary-general Jonathan Lin told reporters.
“Such an arrangement ensures efficiency while upholding procedural justice, enabling the public to clearly understand the necessity and rationality of each additional expenditure.”