Taiwan’s parliament on Friday passed a special defence budget after months of dispute - and less than a week before a planned visit to China by US President Donald Trump.
With its majority in the Legislative Yuan, the opposition - which favours closer ties with China - pushed through the budget amounting to 780 billion New Taiwan dollars (24.8 billion US dollars), replacing the government’s original plan.
Key items from the administration’s initial proposal were removed, including support for the drone industry, AI-assisted decision-making systems, joint military research projects with the United States and others.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) warned that the changes could undermine international confidence in Taiwan’s defence commitment.
“I don’t understand why they removed such critical parts, which could ultimately weaken our defence capabilities,” said DPP lawmaker Puma Shen.
US officials and lawmakers had supported Taiwan’s proposed special defence budget, which covers until 2033, and urged its passage in the legislature.
The United States is Taiwan’s main arms supplier and key security partner against China, which claims the self-governed democratic island as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to take control of it.
US support for Taiwan continues to be a source of tension between Washington and Beijing.
