KMT Legislator Proposes Compromise on Military Procurement Hoping to Build Consensus; Fu Kun-chi: Still Under Discussion
Taiwan's KMT caucus is continuing discussions on a special defense spending bill for US military purchases. Legislator Lai Shih-pao proposed a compromise plan to maintain the party's initial allocation of NT$380 billion (+N), with a potential increase to NT$800 billion after the second wave of US sales offers. KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi emphasized that consensus requires the US Letter of Offer and Acceptance.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 5, 2026 at 12:37
- 🔍 Collected: May 5, 2026 at 13:01 (24 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 5, 2026 at 14:28 (1h 26m after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Wang Cheng-chung, Taipei 5th) The Kuomintang (KMT) caucus today held a caucus meeting to continue discussing the draft of the Special Act for National Defense. KMT Legislator Lai Shih-pao proposed a compromise plan, retaining the party's proposed allocation of NT$380 billion +N, and adding a provision to increase the budget to NT$800 billion after the second wave of US Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) arrives. KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi said that various versions are still under discussion, and the consensus is that a Letter of Offer and Acceptance must be in place.
Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu will convene another cross-party consultation on the 6th to discuss the draft of the Special Act for National Defense. Currently, the KMT central party insists on NT$380 billion +N, while some party legislators support an allocation of NT$800 billion. The KMT caucus held a caucus meeting at the Legislative Yuan this morning to continue discussing and building consensus.
KMT Legislator Lai Shih-pao stated in an interview that yesterday afternoon, KMT Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Li Chien-lung called him, expressing his hope that the caucus would not split, and stated that the so-called NT$380 billion +N is NT$800 billion. After communicating with Li Chien-lung, he proposed a compromise plan at today's caucus meeting.
Lai Shih-pao pointed out that his compromise plan is to amend Article 6 of the party's version of the bill, adding that if the US proposes a second wave of military sales LOA in the future, the budget can be increased, up to a maximum of NT$800 billion, which would solve the problem.
Previously, Article 6 of the KMT caucus's proposed draft of the Special Act for National Defense stipulated that the Ministry of National Defense's expenditures for strengthening national defense and purchasing military supplies from the US under this Act shall be limited to NT$380 billion, to be appropriated through a special budget. The budget for the same item shall not be appropriated across fiscal periods; its budget preparation shall not be subject to the restrictions of Article 23 of the Budget Act regarding not being used for recurring expenditures. However, if the budget amount exceeds the upper limit due to exchange rate fluctuations, it may be appropriated through the general budget.
Lai Shih-pao pointed out that many KMT legislators find both NT$380 billion +N and NT$800 billion acceptable, but because some KMT legislators will participate in the year-end county and city mayoral elections, in order to help their campaigns, they hope to allocate NT$800 billion. He proposed a compromise plan to include both NT$380 billion and NT$800 billion in the article that originally allocated NT$380 billion.
Lai Shih-pao stated that the National Defense Special Act draft this time only deals with US military purchases. The Ministry of National Defense has confirmed that there will be a second wave of US military sales. According to the current party version of the article, a new special act must be proposed again, and a special budget reviewed again, which would be "endless." Therefore, he suggested directly incorporating NT$800 billion into the article.
Lai Shih-pao pointed out that the consensus in today's caucus meeting was "no confrontation, no voting." The caucus has not yet made a decision on his compromise plan.
Fu Kun-chi stated in an interview after the caucus meeting that the KMT is a democratic political party, and there are various versions, all of which are still undergoing democratic discussion. The important thing is how to protect Taiwan, allow advanced weapons to arrive in Taiwan in a timely manner, and prevent corruption. This is a matter for collective discussion, not a matter of amount.
Fu Kun-chi pointed out that the biggest consensus among all versions is that there must be a US Letter of Offer and Acceptance. The weapons that the US government agrees to sell to Taiwan must have subsequent life extension maintenance, and related parts must be durable. If commercial transactions lead to rampant corruption later, it is the duty of legislators to ensure proper oversight. (Edited by Wan Shu-chang) 1150505
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(Central News Agency reporter Wang Cheng-chung, Taipei 5th) The Kuomintang (KMT) caucus today held a caucus meeting to continue discussing the draft of the Special Act for National Defense. KMT Legislator Lai Shih-pao proposed a compromise plan, retaining the party's proposed allocation of NT$380 billion +N, and adding a provision to increase the budget to NT$800 billion after the second wave of US Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) arrives. KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi said that various versions are still under discussion, and the consensus is that a Letter of Offer and Acceptance must be in place.
Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu will convene another cross-party consultation on the 6th to discuss the draft of the Special Act for National Defense. Currently, the KMT central party insists on NT$380 billion +N, while some party legislators support an allocation of NT$800 billion. The KMT caucus held a caucus meeting at the Legislative Yuan this morning to continue discussing and building consensus.
KMT Legislator Lai Shih-pao stated in an interview that yesterday afternoon, KMT Vice Chairman and Secretary-General Li Chien-lung called him, expressing his hope that the caucus would not split, and stated that the so-called NT$380 billion +N is NT$800 billion. After communicating with Li Chien-lung, he proposed a compromise plan at today's caucus meeting.
Lai Shih-pao pointed out that his compromise plan is to amend Article 6 of the party's version of the bill, adding that if the US proposes a second wave of military sales LOA in the future, the budget can be increased, up to a maximum of NT$800 billion, which would solve the problem.
Previously, Article 6 of the KMT caucus's proposed draft of the Special Act for National Defense stipulated that the Ministry of National Defense's expenditures for strengthening national defense and purchasing military supplies from the US under this Act shall be limited to NT$380 billion, to be appropriated through a special budget. The budget for the same item shall not be appropriated across fiscal periods; its budget preparation shall not be subject to the restrictions of Article 23 of the Budget Act regarding not being used for recurring expenditures. However, if the budget amount exceeds the upper limit due to exchange rate fluctuations, it may be appropriated through the general budget.
Lai Shih-pao pointed out that many KMT legislators find both NT$380 billion +N and NT$800 billion acceptable, but because some KMT legislators will participate in the year-end county and city mayoral elections, in order to help their campaigns, they hope to allocate NT$800 billion. He proposed a compromise plan to include both NT$380 billion and NT$800 billion in the article that originally allocated NT$380 billion.
Lai Shih-pao stated that the National Defense Special Act draft this time only deals with US military purchases. The Ministry of National Defense has confirmed that there will be a second wave of US military sales. According to the current party version of the article, a new special act must be proposed again, and a special budget reviewed again, which would be "endless." Therefore, he suggested directly incorporating NT$800 billion into the article.
Lai Shih-pao pointed out that the consensus in today's caucus meeting was "no confrontation, no voting." The caucus has not yet made a decision on his compromise plan.
Fu Kun-chi stated in an interview after the caucus meeting that the KMT is a democratic political party, and there are various versions, all of which are still undergoing democratic discussion. The important thing is how to protect Taiwan, allow advanced weapons to arrive in Taiwan in a timely manner, and prevent corruption. This is a matter for collective discussion, not a matter of amount.
Fu Kun-chi pointed out that the biggest consensus among all versions is that there must be a US Letter of Offer and Acceptance. The weapons that the US government agrees to sell to Taiwan must have subsequent life extension maintenance, and related parts must be durable. If commercial transactions lead to rampant corruption later, it is the duty of legislators to ensure proper oversight. (Edited by Wan Shu-chang) 1150505
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