A delay in approving Taiwan’s budget this year threatens NT$78 billion (US$2.44 billion) in weapons procurement, maintenance and training, a senior defense ministry official said yesterday.
Defense spending is set to increase by 22.9 percent to NT$949.5 billion this year, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration said in August last year. At 3.32 percent of GDP, the figure would cross the 3 percent threshold for the first time since 2009, government figures showed.
The government has said it needs to spend more to deter China, and the US has backed the budget increase.
Photo: Ann WAng, Reuters
However, the legislature has stalled passing the budget as well as a separate US$40 billion in extra military spending.
The delay means the ministry would not be able to execute 21 percent of this year’s budget under the original schedule, affecting NT$78 billion in spending, Ministry of National Defense budgeting department head Yen Ming-teh (嚴明德) said at a news conference.
That includes spending on programs such as the US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, as well as on Javelin missile procurement and replenishment, he said.
“In response to the enemy threat, strengthening national defense capabilities cannot be delayed,” Yen said. “Any delay in timing will cause irreversible negative effects.”
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called on allies to spend more on defense — a call the Lai administration has endorsed.
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