Premier seeks opposition support as Cabinet advances NT$1.25 trillion defense plan

Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Thursday urged opposition parties to back a bill that would authorize a supplementary NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) in defense spending for Taiwan's military buildup, stressing the need to strengthen self-defense amid rising Chinese threats.

At a news conference in Taipei, Cho called on opposition lawmakers from the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority, to put political differences aside for national security and support the bill the Cabinet approved earlier that day.

The bill would authorize NT$1.25 trillion in government spending for major weapons purchases and joint development programs with the United States over eight years, from 2026 to 2033. It followed President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) announcement at the Presidential Office a day earlier.

Given Beijing's continued military coercion, Cho said, the government has a responsibility to show its determination to safeguard Taiwan's sovereignty.

Investing in defense, as other democratic countries do, signals to the world that Taiwan is serious about defending itself and makes it more likely such partners will assist Taiwan in a crisis, he added.

The bill will now be sent to the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan for review.

Both the KMT and the TPP, however, have criticized the mammoth budget pledged by the government, arguing it would rely heavily on debt financing and would lead to funding cuts to social welfare, education and other programs.

The two parties said they would scrutinize the plan to ensure taxpayers' money is used responsibly.

Defense experts, meanwhile, told CNA that sharply increasing defense spending sends a clear message internationally that Taiwan intends to defend itself.

Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑), an associate professor at Tamkang University's Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, said the announcement comes amid an ongoing diplomatic dispute between China and Japan over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks on a potential Taiwan contingency.

Beijing has stepped up pressure on Japan since Takaichi told the Diet earlier this month that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation," potentially prompting a military response from Tokyo.

Lin added that Taiwan's pledge to raise its defense budget underscores that the country does not intend to rely solely on outside support in the event of a Chinese attack.

Speaking in the same vein, Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) of the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) said the Lai administration was demonstrating to the international community that Taiwan will take concrete steps to bolster its defenses.

Su added that the large investment could also help drive the development of Taiwan's domestic defense sector and contribute to economic growth.