Lai calls for public support of military investment, slams opposition

Taipei, July 1 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Tuesday called for public support of government efforts to build up Taiwan's military capabilities while also calling opposition lawmakers out for cutting this year's defense budget.

Speaking to members of the Lions Clubs International in Taipei, Lai outlined measures the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government has taken since 2016 to improve the working environment for servicemen, reform the military and enhance Taiwan's overall defense capabilities.

In particular, he described defense investment as not only a security imperative but also an economic opportunity, as developments of drones, telecommunications systems and weaponry spur innovation, create jobs and strengthen domestic industries.

"We are not merely purchasing [arms articles], we are also manufacturing them ourselves [and] co-developing, designing and producing [them] with the United States," Lai said, stressing that these efforts would make Taiwan both safer and economically stronger.

The president then shifted focus to criticize opposition lawmakers from the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party for making "historic" cuts and freezes to the government's 2025 defense budget.

According to government data, the Legislature, where the opposition currently holds a majority, cut NT$8.4 billion (US$287.18 million) from the proposed NT$647 billion defense spending, along with freezes of nearly NT$90 billion, though some of the frozen funds were later unfrozen.

"Political parties can compete, but the country cannot be left undefended," Lai said, adding that the opposition lawmakers' actions had sent "the wrong signal" to the international community that Taiwan was not willing to defend itself.

The KMT, on the other hand, said the budget cuts and freezes resulted from a rigorous review process and emphasized that it has always supported Taiwan's military.

KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) also pushed back against Lai’s remarks in a social media post Tuesday night.

The frozen funds could be accessed pending reports from the executive branch but the DPP government has deliberately stalled the process for three months to fuel the recall campaigns, Chu said, while accusing Lai of undermining Taiwan’s security for the sake of his party's political gain.

Tuesday's talk was the fourth in a series of speeches Lai plans to give on a range of topics, after the DPP pledged full support for an unprecedented campaign targeting the recall of a majority of KMT lawmakers elected in the legislative election held on Jan. 13 2024.

A total of 24 out of 39 directly elected KMT lawmakers may face early removal from office if recall votes scheduled for July 26 succeed, with seven other recall proposal still pending review by the election authorities.