President Worries HIMARS Procurement Too Late, KMT Legislators: Strict Oversight, No Delays
Concerns arise over the potential delay in HIMARS missile procurement due to amendments to Taiwan's Special Act on Defense, with ruling and opposition party legislators expressing differing views. The DPP calls for swift action, while the KMT insists on strict oversight without delays. The U.S. has positively assessed the amendments.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 9, 2026 at 18:48
- 🔍 Collected: May 9, 2026 at 19:01 (13 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 9, 2026 at 19:55 (53 min after Collected)
Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Wang Chen-chung, Wen Kui-hsiang, Taipei 9th) President Lai Ching-te is concerned that the addition of budget review procedures in the Special Act on Defense could affect HIMARS military procurement payments. DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu stated today that national security transcends party lines and called on the KMT and Taiwan People's Party to prioritize resolving the HIMARS issue. KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin, however, said that the KMT's stance is consistent and clear: they will strictly monitor but will absolutely not delay.
President Lai Ching-te stated today that the Legislative Yuan passed the Special Act on Defense Procurement on its third reading, but the budget ceiling was reduced from the original plan of NT$1.25 trillion to NT$780 billion, and additional budget review procedures were added. He worries that HIMARS military procurement payments might not be processed in time. He hopes that there is no room for compromise on national security and wishes that all political parties can continue to work hard.
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu stated today that the contract for the HIMARS system, which is very important for Taiwan's defense system, will expire at the end of May. According to the military procurement version passed by the KMT and Taiwan People's Party, after the articles pass their third reading, the Ministry of National Defense must submit a special report within one month, and only after it passes can a budget be proposed and approved. It is clear that it is already mid-May, and the HIMARS procurement contract period is simply too late.
Wang Ting-yu pointed out that Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu is about to lead a delegation to visit Europe. If it is too late to handle, Taiwan will lose the opportunity to acquire the advanced HIMARS system. If the sequencing is delayed, Taiwan would need to re-allocate budget and the U.S. would need to re-initiate the project, which would affect the entire acquisition period by about 1 to 1.5 years. With China's threat to Taiwan intensifying daily, time is very tight, and any delay will affect the safety and development of all citizens.
Wang Ting-yu stated that HIMARS will expire on May 31, and questioned whether it can be prioritized for urgent handling. Otherwise, according to the KMT-Taiwan People's Party version, submitting a special report within one month and then passing the budget is clearly too slow. National security has no party lines, and he urged Han Kuo-yu and the KMT-Taiwan People's Party to prioritize the HIMARS issue with Taiwan's security in mind.
KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin pointed out that the KMT's stance is consistent and clear: they will strictly monitor but will absolutely not delay. The KMT insists on reasonable procurement and rational oversight to prevent the Lai administration from leaving future generations indebted with an unlimited special budget. At the same time, they will proceed with subsequent reviews responsibly and according to procedure.
According to Hsu Chiao-hsin, the U.S. response to the Legislative Yuan's third reading of the Special Act on Defense was positive and clear, with the U.S. Department of State expressing that it was "encouraged." U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Senator John Curtis also issued a joint statement welcoming it.
Hsu Chiao-hsin pointed out that the U.S. State Department's use of the word "encouraged" is clearly positive language. Coupled with the "welcome" expressed by the U.S. executive branch and both Democratic and Republican parties in the Senate, the meaning is very clear: the version passed by the Legislative Yuan has received consistent cross-party affirmation from the U.S. (Editors: Lin Ke-lun, Yang Kai-hsiang) 1150509
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(Central News Agency reporter Wang Chen-chung, Wen Kui-hsiang, Taipei 9th) President Lai Ching-te is concerned that the addition of budget review procedures in the Special Act on Defense could affect HIMARS military procurement payments. DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu stated today that national security transcends party lines and called on the KMT and Taiwan People's Party to prioritize resolving the HIMARS issue. KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin, however, said that the KMT's stance is consistent and clear: they will strictly monitor but will absolutely not delay.
President Lai Ching-te stated today that the Legislative Yuan passed the Special Act on Defense Procurement on its third reading, but the budget ceiling was reduced from the original plan of NT$1.25 trillion to NT$780 billion, and additional budget review procedures were added. He worries that HIMARS military procurement payments might not be processed in time. He hopes that there is no room for compromise on national security and wishes that all political parties can continue to work hard.
DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu stated today that the contract for the HIMARS system, which is very important for Taiwan's defense system, will expire at the end of May. According to the military procurement version passed by the KMT and Taiwan People's Party, after the articles pass their third reading, the Ministry of National Defense must submit a special report within one month, and only after it passes can a budget be proposed and approved. It is clear that it is already mid-May, and the HIMARS procurement contract period is simply too late.
Wang Ting-yu pointed out that Legislative Yuan President Han Kuo-yu is about to lead a delegation to visit Europe. If it is too late to handle, Taiwan will lose the opportunity to acquire the advanced HIMARS system. If the sequencing is delayed, Taiwan would need to re-allocate budget and the U.S. would need to re-initiate the project, which would affect the entire acquisition period by about 1 to 1.5 years. With China's threat to Taiwan intensifying daily, time is very tight, and any delay will affect the safety and development of all citizens.
Wang Ting-yu stated that HIMARS will expire on May 31, and questioned whether it can be prioritized for urgent handling. Otherwise, according to the KMT-Taiwan People's Party version, submitting a special report within one month and then passing the budget is clearly too slow. National security has no party lines, and he urged Han Kuo-yu and the KMT-Taiwan People's Party to prioritize the HIMARS issue with Taiwan's security in mind.
KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin pointed out that the KMT's stance is consistent and clear: they will strictly monitor but will absolutely not delay. The KMT insists on reasonable procurement and rational oversight to prevent the Lai administration from leaving future generations indebted with an unlimited special budget. At the same time, they will proceed with subsequent reviews responsibly and according to procedure.
According to Hsu Chiao-hsin, the U.S. response to the Legislative Yuan's third reading of the Special Act on Defense was positive and clear, with the U.S. Department of State expressing that it was "encouraged." U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican Senator John Curtis also issued a joint statement welcoming it.
Hsu Chiao-hsin pointed out that the U.S. State Department's use of the word "encouraged" is clearly positive language. Coupled with the "welcome" expressed by the U.S. executive branch and both Democratic and Republican parties in the Senate, the meaning is very clear: the version passed by the Legislative Yuan has received consistent cross-party affirmation from the U.S. (Editors: Lin Ke-lun, Yang Kai-hsiang) 1150509
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship is a force to protect press freedom.
Download Central News Agency's "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
Text, images, and videos on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.