Legislative Yuan to Vote on National Defense Special Act Draft

Central News (Central News Agency reporter Wang Yang-yu, Taipei 7th) The Legislative Yuan is expected to vote on the draft National Defense Special Act as early as the 8th. Tsai Chi-chang, the caucus whip of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the Legislative Yuan, said today that the NT.25 trillion (Executive Yuan version) is a perfect version for protecting Taiwan and avoiding war. However, if a perfect version cannot be achieved, he will do his best to appeal, as even purchasing one more weapon is a guarantee for the nation. The joint meeting of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee and the Finance Committee previously passed preliminary reviews of the Executive Yuan, Taiwan People's Party (TPP), and Kuomintang (KMT) versions of the National Defense Special Act draft. However, no consensus was reached on key provisions, which were reserved for party caucus negotiations. The Executive Yuan's version allocates a budget of NT.25 trillion over 8 years, while the TPP's version allocates NT00 billion, and the KMT's version allocates NT80 billion + N. The ruling and opposition party caucuses held four rounds of negotiations on the National Defense Special Act draft, but failed to reach a consensus on provisions such as procurement items and allocated amounts. Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu announced that the matter would be handled according to regulations. As the draft has passed the one-month negotiation cooling-off period, the KMT caucus will hold a general meeting on the 8th and does not rule out discussing whether to address the National Defense Special Act draft in the Legislative Yuan session on the 8th. Huang Kuo-chang, chairman of the Taiwan People's Party, posted on the social media platform Threads today, stating that during yesterday's military procurement negotiations, the DPP was unyielding, insisting that not a single dollar of the NT.25 trillion could be cut. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo even became angry and lashed out at TPP caucus whip Chen Ching-lung. As a result, Tsai Chi-chang and high-ranking Executive Yuan officials privately approached the TPP again, saying that actually, a military procurement of NT00 billion plus an additional NT0 billion would suffice. He questioned what game the DPP was playing and if they truly valued the people's money. Tsai Chi-chang wrote on Facebook today that the NT.25 trillion is a perfect version for protecting Taiwan and avoiding war, and that the opposition legislators' insistence on cutting it to NT00 billion or NT50 billion is, of course, unacceptable. Therefore, he publicly appealed to the opposition yesterday, asking if they could avoid cutting off an arm, because 'our two hands are meant to defend Taiwan's freedom and democracy, and the existence of the Republic of China.' Tsai Chi-chang said that if a perfect version cannot be achieved, he will certainly do his best to appeal for it to go from 60 points to 70 points, from 70 points to 80 points, and to get as close to NT.25 trillion as possible. This is his logic and direction of effort. Tsai Chi-chang stated that during breaks or at the end of each negotiation, he would privately appeal to KMT and TPP legislators, asking if they could get closer to NT.25 trillion, if they could strive for a bit more, as even purchasing one more weapon is a guarantee for the nation. Before Taiwan's security, personal demeanor is not important; he is willing to appeal again, including to the two opposition party chairmen. (Editors: Lin Ke-lun, Lin Hsing-meng) 1150507 Choose to stand with the facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom. Download the Central News Agency's 'First-hand News' APP to stay updated with the latest news. The text, images, and audio/video on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.