No concrete consensus was reached during cross-caucus negotiations over a proposed special defense budget at the Legislative Yuan yesterday as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers clashed over the budget cap.
The meeting ended after just 70 minutes, and caucus leaders agreed to hold a fourth round of negotiations on May 6.
Lawmakers remain divided over the scale of the proposed package. The Cabinet is seeking NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.72 billion) over eight years, while the KMT has proposed “NT$380 billion plus N.” The KMT said the “plus N” portion of the proposal means waiting until the US issues letters of acceptance for arms sales to propose relevant budgets, subject to legislative approval.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The Taiwan People’s Party’s (TPP) version sets a ceiling of NT$400 billion.
After failing to reach a consensus on April 15, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) convened another round of negotiations on Thursday to discuss the draft special defense budget, during which the caucuses reached a consensus on provisions such as budget execution rules and the implementation period, but they still disagreed on key articles, including procurement items and allocated amounts, which led to the third round of negotiations yesterday.
Sources said KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) yesterday proposed raising the budget from the KMT caucus’ proposed “NT$380 billion plus N” to NT$800 billion.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
However, KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) opposed the increase and insisted on sticking to the original proposal.
TPP caucus whip Jacky Chen (陳清龍) said his party caucus needed to further discuss the figure.
Following coordination, Han announced that negotiations would resume on Wednesday next week once the KMT and TPP caucuses have reached internal consensus, and adjourned the meeting.
Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said after the meeting that while the DPP does not object to the KMT and TPP taking time to communicate internally, military procurement is vital to the nation’s security.
Separately yesterday, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene urged lawmakers to approve a “comprehensive” defense budget.
In a Facebook post summarizing his interview with the Chinese-language China Times, Greene said it was “vital for Taiwan to pass a comprehensive budget package,” calling it a critical signal to the international community and essential to ensuring Taiwan acquires the full range of defense capabilities it has requested.
He added that Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense is also seeking funding for integrated air and missile defense systems, as well as uncrewed vehicles and drones.
“As evidenced on the battlefields of the Middle East and Ukraine, these systems are not only critically important, but are also in extremely high demand worldwide,” he said.
Greene added that passing the budget swiftly would create a “positive atmosphere” ahead of KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) planned Washington visit.
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