Lai Ching-te: Defense Procurement Severely Discounted, Hopes for Bipartisan Cooperation to Support Complete National Defense Construction
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te criticized the defense special act approved by the opposition as 'severely discounted' for narrowing military procurement options and cutting the budget. He is calling for bipartisan reconsideration and cooperation to fully build the nation's defense capabilities.
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- 📰 Published: May 13, 2026 at 17:30
- 🔍 Collected: May 13, 2026 at 18:02 (31 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 13, 2026 at 19:40 (1h 38m after Collected)
Central News Agency, Taipei, 13th - With their numerical advantage, the blue and white camps passed the third reading of the Special Act for National Defense in the Legislative Yuan on the 8th, allocating a ceiling of NT$780 billion but excluding commercial purchases and commissioned projects. President Lai Ching-te, who is also the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said today that this is a 'severely discounted' and incomplete version. He once again called on all party caucuses in the Legislative Yuan to cooperate and reconsider carefully to support the complete construction of the nation's defense capabilities.
The DPP held its Central Executive Committee meeting today, where Lai stated that after a delay of nearly six months, the Legislative Yuan finally completed the vote on the special defense budget act last week. However, he must also make it clear that this is a severely discounted and incomplete version, and it might even be a 'see but can't use' act, or even a move described by the U.S. State Department as a 'concession to the Chinese Communist Party.'
Lai said that the Executive Yuan had originally proposed an 8-year, NT$1.25 trillion version of the act, covering seven major defense capability constructions and multiple avenues such as military procurement, commercial purchases, and commissioned manufacturing. The goal was to establish a comprehensive defense system where each part supports the others. However, under the joint efforts of the opposition party caucuses in the Legislative Yuan, not only were important items such as commercial purchases, commissioned manufacturing, and the defense supply chain excluded from comprehensive planning, but the budget was also cut to NT$780 billion, which may not even be sufficient for U.S. military procurement needs.
He expressed more concern that the special act adds a provision different from the normal budget review process, requiring the Executive Yuan to report to the Legislative Yuan again after the act is passed and obtain consent before a budget can be compiled. Furthermore, the opposition has changed the budget review to an 'annual review,' which could lead to execution risks such as review delays, cuts, and difficulties in payment continuity.
In addition, Lai pointed out that the items deleted by the opposition include key contents such as domestic production and commissioning of drones, construction of the defense supply chain, command, control, and decision support systems, and self-reliant defense commissioning and Taiwan-U.S. joint R&D. These items are crucial for strengthening Taiwan's defense resilience, establishing asymmetric combat capabilities, and sustaining long-term operational energy.
He emphasized that a gap in any link could affect the integrity of the overall defense system, and any delay would increase the security risks borne by all citizens.
He noted that in the face of rapid changes in geopolitics, if Taiwan fails to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and national defense capacity, it could weaken its own security and the overall deterrent power of the democratic camp, further affecting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Lai said he wanted to once again call on the ruling and opposition party caucuses in the Legislative Yuan to stand on the position of strengthening national security, protecting people's lives, and promoting industrial development, to cooperate and reconsider carefully, and to support the complete construction of the nation's defense capabilities.
He stated that the ruling team will actively respond with relevant actions, fully support the soldiers of the armed forces, and continue to show the international community Taiwan's determination to enhance its self-defense. (Editor: Lin Ke-lun) 1150513
The DPP held its Central Executive Committee meeting today, where Lai stated that after a delay of nearly six months, the Legislative Yuan finally completed the vote on the special defense budget act last week. However, he must also make it clear that this is a severely discounted and incomplete version, and it might even be a 'see but can't use' act, or even a move described by the U.S. State Department as a 'concession to the Chinese Communist Party.'
Lai said that the Executive Yuan had originally proposed an 8-year, NT$1.25 trillion version of the act, covering seven major defense capability constructions and multiple avenues such as military procurement, commercial purchases, and commissioned manufacturing. The goal was to establish a comprehensive defense system where each part supports the others. However, under the joint efforts of the opposition party caucuses in the Legislative Yuan, not only were important items such as commercial purchases, commissioned manufacturing, and the defense supply chain excluded from comprehensive planning, but the budget was also cut to NT$780 billion, which may not even be sufficient for U.S. military procurement needs.
He expressed more concern that the special act adds a provision different from the normal budget review process, requiring the Executive Yuan to report to the Legislative Yuan again after the act is passed and obtain consent before a budget can be compiled. Furthermore, the opposition has changed the budget review to an 'annual review,' which could lead to execution risks such as review delays, cuts, and difficulties in payment continuity.
In addition, Lai pointed out that the items deleted by the opposition include key contents such as domestic production and commissioning of drones, construction of the defense supply chain, command, control, and decision support systems, and self-reliant defense commissioning and Taiwan-U.S. joint R&D. These items are crucial for strengthening Taiwan's defense resilience, establishing asymmetric combat capabilities, and sustaining long-term operational energy.
He emphasized that a gap in any link could affect the integrity of the overall defense system, and any delay would increase the security risks borne by all citizens.
He noted that in the face of rapid changes in geopolitics, if Taiwan fails to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and national defense capacity, it could weaken its own security and the overall deterrent power of the democratic camp, further affecting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Lai said he wanted to once again call on the ruling and opposition party caucuses in the Legislative Yuan to stand on the position of strengthening national security, protecting people's lives, and promoting industrial development, to cooperate and reconsider carefully, and to support the complete construction of the nation's defense capabilities.
He stated that the ruling team will actively respond with relevant actions, fully support the soldiers of the armed forces, and continue to show the international community Taiwan's determination to enhance its self-defense. (Editor: Lin Ke-lun) 1150513