Taiwan’s parliament rejected a NT$210bn (£4.9bn) government proposal to fund a major expansion of its military drone fleet, approving instead an opposition plan worth about NT$40bn (£930m) annually.
The government wanted the money to run until 2031 and fund some 210,000 drones, arguing that the wars in Ukraine and Iran had demonstrated the growing role of uncrewed weapons in modern warfare even as the threat from China mounted.
Premier Cho Jung-tai said the government would assess whether the legislation met Taiwan’s defence and industrial needs.
“What I want to look at is whether the relevant bill that got passed meets the needs of the nation and whether it meets the various needs for our defence self-reliance and for developing the entire drone and unmanned vehicle industry,” he said. “We’ll carefully consider this matter with regard to national needs and national security.”
The defence ministry said it regretted the rejection of the proposal by the opposition-controlled parliament.
It claimed the proposal was prepared after “in-depth” assessments and consultations with “allied nations”, which it did not identify, according to Reuters. The US, Taiwan’s primary strategic ally and supplier of military hardware, has supported the island’s efforts to build up its drone capabilities.
The plan approved by the parliament allocates NT$40bn a year from the regular budget, with scope to increase the amount if necessary.
Hsu Chiao-hsin, a lawmaker for the largest opposition party Kuomintang, said the government “cannot simply come asking for money every time without any oversight”, and argued that the opposition’s plan would ensure greater scrutiny of spending.
But defence minister Wellington Koo warned that the NT$40bn limit would hinder Taiwan’s ability to develop drone combat capabilities. His ministry alone was planning to spend NT$42.1bn on drones in 2027.
Ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Fan Yun warned that delays to the wider budget could jeopardise urgent defence spending.
“If the total budget review gets delayed again,” she said, “I think this creates enormous uncertainty not only for industry development but, more importantly, for urgent national defence needs.”
Taiwan separately approved spending this month to develop its domestic drone industry.
The administration’s military spending proposals come as China steps up military and political pressure on the island, which it claims as its sovereign territory.
China regularly sends military planes, coast guard ships and naval vessels towards Taiwan and carries out large-scale military exercises from time to time. Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to unify the island with the mainland.
Taiwan’s government rejects China’s sovereignty claim and says the island’s future can only be decided by its people.