Most of the NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.57 billion) special defense budget is for arms procurement from other countries, while NT$300 billion would go toward domestic defense production, Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) said yesterday.
Hsu was responding to a comment by Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) on Wednesday that only NT$300 billion of the budget is for arms procurement from the US.
Huang, who returned from a visit to the US on Wednesday, said he made the discovery after meeting unnamed officials in Washington.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
The figure is closer to NT$900 billion, Hsu told the post-Cabinet meeting news conference, calling Huang’s claim “absolutely false.”
Hsu rejected accusations from Huang that the budget proposal lacked clarity and that it only earmarked small portions for weapon purchases.
As Taiwan is facing escalating threats, the military must have a higher budget to expedite the acquisition of needed weapon systems and to enhance combat readiness, Hsu said.
The proposal already contains known weapons procurements for US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, M109A7 Paladin howitzers, Altius attack drones, Javelin anti-tank missiles, and tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided 2B guided missiles, he said.
The Ministry of National Defense would explain classified portions of the spending plan to lawmakers at a classified meeting on Monday, he added.
Hsu also refuted an insinuation by opposition parties that the special defense budget “gives a blank check” to the government, citing past instances in which special budget ceilings were first approved by the legislature before individual items were considered.
He was likely referring to special budgets proposed between February 2016 and February 2024, when the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) held a majority in the legislature.
The NT$300 billion earmarked for domestic defense production would create more than 90,000 jobs and boost industrial output by NT$400 billion, Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said.
Meanwhile, the US Department of State yesterday said that Washington strongly supports Taiwan’s efforts to share in defense responsibilities, including by bolstering its defense and deterrence capabilities through reforms and increased defense spending.
The US also welcomed President William Lai’s (賴清德) plan to increase military expenditure to more than 3 percent of GDP this year and to 5 percent of GDP by 2030.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) reiterated that it welcomes the NT$1.25 billion special defense budget, as AIT Director Raymond Greene wrote on social media on Nov. 26 last year.
“The United States supports Taiwan’s rapid acquisition of critical asymmetric capabilities needed to strengthen deterrence, consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act and decades of commitment across multiple US administrations,” Greene said in the post.
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said that US officials rebutted the claims made by opposition parties and its backers, who are attempting to mislead the public about the special defense budget.
Huang has contrived to misrepresent the meetings he had with US officials in Washington, Wang said.
After returning from the US, Huang and his TPP delegation have again stated their opposition to reviewing the special defense budget by citing a “lack of clarity” on how the money would be spent, as they say a “relatively high proportion” would not be allotted to US arms purchases, he added.
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