Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament voted on Thursday to spend T$40 billion ($1.26 billion) on military drones annually, but rejected a government plan for a special budget of T$210 billion to run until 2031.
– The government said its plan to buy about 210,000 drones, could not wait, as the Ukraine and Iran wars showed the importance of uncrewed weapons in modern warfare amid a rising threat from China, which sees the island as its own territory.
– But the opposition voted through its own proposals, which amount to T$240 billion over six years, drawn from the annual budget, with annual spending set at T$40 billion in principle, though it can be increased if needed.
– Asked by reporters at parliament after the vote whether he would sign the legislation into law, Premier Cho Jung-tai said the question was not whether the government was satisfied.
– “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 will carefully consider this matter with regard to national needs and national security.“