Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) today said that the opposition’s proposal to repurpose NT$150 billion (US$5.2 billion) of the special budget, previously allocated for whole-of-society defense resilience, as cash handouts was “completely unacceptable and irresponsible.”
The Legislative Yuan tomorrow is to decide how to allocate the NT$410 billion special budget approved by the Cabinet to enhance national security and boost economic resilience in the face of US tariffs.
Speaking at a news conference after a meeting at the Executive Yuan in Taipei, Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) quoted Cho as saying that slashing the budget would burden the public with the cost of maintaining basic supplies and homeland security — duties the government ought to bear.
Photo courtesy of the Executive Yuan
The national budget must be seen as a whole, and there must be no gaps in the national security network, Cho said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the proposal by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party would sacrifice Taiwan’s national security, economic stability and international standing.
This is exactly how the opposition “sells out Taiwan,” the party said.
Photo: Tsung Chang-chin, Taipei Times
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) criticized the KMT for proposing NT$10,000 cash handouts, saying they were a bid to swing the upcoming recall votes targeting KMT lawmakers.
The NT$150 billion would be used to improve defense storage capabilities, cybersecurity and maritime surveillance, said DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), a member of the legislature’s Committee on Foreign and National Defense Affairs.
Scrapping the budget would send the wrong message to the international community and could cause Taiwan to face further sanctions, while dealing with tariffs and origin fraud, he added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement that the military would use NT$115.1 billion of the budget to build mobile and backup information and communications infrastructure to be used by the military and civilians.
That would include establishing cloud-based, mobile information networks, expanding satellite leases, updating servers and strengthening cybersecurity defense, it said.
Mobile command posts and microwave technology would also be implemented in all combat zones and on the Wuchiu (烏坵) islands in Lienchiang County (Matsu), the ministry said.
A shared information and intelligence platform would then be built using radar data provided by the Coast Guard Administration, the army and the navy, it said.
Lastly, the budget would be used to improve emergency repair capabilities for fiber optic networks to ensure stable communication and swiftly restore connections after disruption, it said.
The budget would also be used to bolster preparedness by increasing stockpiles of spare parts, fuel and drinking water, while upgrading storage facilities and engineering equipment, the ministry said.
These initiatives would improve the military’s ability to respond to China’s “gray zone” tactics and sustain operations, it said.
Finally, military training grounds would be upgraded to meet increasing needs for new equipment, reserve forces and wartime simulation training programs, it said.
The annual budget alone would be not be sufficient to counter possible threats in light of recent regional instability and intimidation, the ministry said.
The special budget is required to concentrate resources, prioritize construction and enable rapid procurement, which in turn, enables Taiwan to maintain military strength at critical moments, stimulate the domestic economy and build a safe and resilient nation, it added.
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