If Taiwan does not increase its foreign affairs budget, it would have difficulty countering Chinese aggression, which is backed by massive resources, an official familiar with the matter said.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remarks in response to lawmakers questioning a proposal to boost the budget for next year for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry’s proposed expenditure for next year is NT$41.503 billion (US$1.36 billion), an increase of NT$10.916 billion from NT$30.587 billion this year.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said that the ministry’s publicity expenses this year were 150 times what they were last year and asked whether they were used to reward and support “cyber warriors.”
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chang Chi-kai (張?楷) said that Taiwan lost eight diplomatic allies under former minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).
Four former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) aides, including a former assistant to Wu, have just been sentenced for espionage, which could be why Taiwan lost the allies, Chang said, adding that the legislature would keep scrutinizing the ministry’s use of funds.
DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) said that the increase in the proposed foreign affairs budget is reasonable, because the value of diplomacy is not based solely on the number of allies, but whether Taiwan continues to improve its presence and safety in international society.
The Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report that in the past five years, the number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies fell to 12 from 14, while countries that spoke out on behalf of Taiwan at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the World Health Assembly and the UN increased to 11 from six, rose to 26 from 18 and fell to 11 from 14 respectively.
As economic resources do not guarantee diplomatic gains, relations established on “foreign aid diplomacy” could easily be replaced by large-scale and consistent economic cooperation, the report said.
The ministry had sought funds for international cooperation and foreign aid, as well as international exchanges in the first half of next year, but its budget was slashed, it said, adding that the funding cuts should be reconsidered.
The ministry official said that China’s foreign affairs budget has increased 11-fold in the past 25 years, while the ministry’s proposed annual budget as a proportion of next year’s total government budget is still lower than what it was in 2009, when Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was president.
The NT$10.916 billion proposal includes NT$9.843 billion for the Co-Prosperity Project, which funds international aid and cooperation programs, and NT$873 million to boost international exchanges and host foreign visitors, they said.
The ministry’s annual budget has been about NT$30 billion for the past few years, they said.
China is using its massive economic weight to induce and pressure Taiwan’s allies, and suppress Taiwan, the official said.
If Taiwan does not increase its foreign affairs resources and capacity, it would not be able to counter China’s aggressive attacks and resources, they said.
Foreign affairs are just as important as national defense, they said.
The defense budget has been increased, so foreign affairs funding should follow suit, they said.
The Co-Prosperity Project funding would be used to assist the Executive Yuan’s Economic Diplomacy Task Force, which encourages Taiwan’s industries to invest in allies of the nation and other friendly countries, boosting cooperation with like-minded countries, the official said.
The project includes work on the Luzon Economic Corridor in the Philippines, and promoting the “democratic supply chain” for semiconductors with central and eastern European states, they said.
Taiwan cannot compete with China in checkbook diplomacy, and the foreign affairs budget is strictly monitored by the Legislative Yuan and used according to the people’s expectations, the official said.
Increasing the budget is to keep allies and support diplomatic strategies, ultimately protecting national interests and dignity, they added.
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