Taiwan defence minister rejects opposition’s cut‑price budget and U.S. arms deadline

By Yimou Lee

TAIPEI, March 6 (Reuters) – Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo on Friday rebuffed the main opposition party, which had proposed a defence budget roughly one-third of the amount sought by the government and set a deadline for U.S. arms purchases that he said was impossible.

Taiwan has faced pressure from the United States to sharply raise defence spending. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te last year proposed extra defence spending of $40 billion to counter China, which has ramped up military pressure to force the island to accept its claim of sovereignty.

But the main opposition Kuomintang, which together with a smaller party holds a majority in parliament, refused to review the proposal and instead this week advanced its own, less expensive proposals, which only fund around 30% of the spending that Lai wants.

The move came after growing pressure from politicians in the United States, Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier, to not hold up spending.

In the KMT’s counter-proposal, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, the party set a cap of T$380 billion ($11.96 billion) on the spending and a deadline for completion by the end of 2028.

Talking to reporters in Taipei, Koo said the government’s proposal included precision artillery and anti-armour unmanned systems.

“If everything is required to be delivered and fully implemented before that deadline, it would in effect shut down these projects, making their execution impossible,” he said.

The KMT also said it backs U.S. arms deals handled between the two governments and opposes deals arranged through commercial channels, which it views as vulnerable to irregularities and inadequate scrutiny.

In response, Koo said omitting any channel for acquiring weapons would “create a major gap in our overall defence and operational capabilities and significantly undermine the improvement of our joint combat capabilities.”

He added the government’s proposal has the backing of the U.S administration and congress.

The KMT has described Lai’s plan as “sky‑high” and vague, citing the need for clearer oversight.

KMT chairperson Cheng Li-wun has said her party has been in communication with the Chinese Communist Party and that she hopes to visit China this year for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

China regularly stages military exercises around Taiwan, and refuses to talk to Lai, calling him a “separatist”. Lai says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

($1 = 31.7700 Taiwan dollars)

(Reporting By Yimou Lee; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)