Yan De-fa: Peace Relies on Strength; Calls for Cross-Party Support for Ministry of National Defense's Military Procurement Budget
Yan De-fa emphasized that peace depends on strength and called for cross-party support for the Ministry of National Defense's military procurement budget to enhance Taiwan's self-defense capabilities against threats from the CCP. The Executive Yuan proposed a NT$1.25 trillion special act for defense resilience, while KMT and TPP caucuses also introduced their own versions of special acts totaling NT$380 billion and NT$400 billion, respectively. He stressed the urgency of rapidly building combat power.
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- 📰 Published: April 9, 2026 at 11:03
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The Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee today invited Yan De-fa to report on business conditions and answer interpellations; Yan De-fa accepted media interviews before entering the meeting room this morning. Regarding the cross-party caucus negotiation on the draft special act for national defense, scheduled for this afternoon, Yan De-fa stated that peace relies on strength. The common aspiration now is peace, and the biggest threat is the CCP, whether through military exercises, or military aircraft and warships circling Taiwan, which causes public resentment and unease. How to ensure peace depends on strength, and strength means combat capability and the ability for self-defense. Yan De-fa stated that Taiwan does not engage in an arms race with the CCP, whose military expenditure is more than 11 times that of Taiwan. Taiwan merely maintains the minimum basic security. He called on political parties to support the Ministry of National Defense's military procurement budget, because national defense is based on meticulous planning, and military buildup planning starts from operational needs to construct strategy. "Time waits for no one," Yan De-fa particularly emphasized the importance of time. The longer Taiwan delays, the greater the gap in combat power will become. He hopes that the capabilities of the national army will be ensured, and combat power must be rapidly established. He hopes everyone can support the military procurement plan currently launched by the Ministry of National Defense. Currently, in addition to the Executive Yuan's "Special Act for Strengthening Defense Resilience and Asymmetric Combat Capability Procurement Plan" (NT$1.25 trillion over 8 years), the Kuomintang caucus and the Taiwan People's Party caucus have also proposed the "Special Act for Strengthening National Defense and Military Procurement from the US" (NT$380 billion + N) and the "Special Act for Safeguarding National Security and Strengthening Asymmetric Combat Capability Procurement Plan" (NT$400 billion). (Edited by Chang Chun-mao) 1150409
FAQ
What is the main purpose of the military procurement budget that Yan De-fa called for cross-party support for?
The main purpose is to strengthen Taiwan's national defense capabilities to counter military threats from the CCP, ensuring national security and peace.
What are the current special act drafts related to national defense that have been proposed?
The Executive Yuan proposed the "Special Act for Strengthening Defense Resilience and Asymmetric Combat Capability Procurement Plan" (NT$1.25 trillion), while the KMT and TPP caucuses also proposed the "Special Act for Strengthening National Defense and Military Procurement from the US" (NT$380 billion + N) and the "Special Act for Safeguarding National Security and Strengthening Asymmetric Combat Capability Procurement Plan" (NT$400 billion), respectively.