Taiwan to prioritize special defense budget in legal review: Legislative Speaker

Taipei, Feb. 16 (CNA) Taiwan's Legislature will place the NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget as its first item for review when the new session begins after the Lunar New Year holiday, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) said Monday.

In a joint statement with Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), Han said the two, both from the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), would facilitate cross-party negotiations on the proposal, stressing that they act as representatives of the entire Legislature rather than a single party.

The special defense budget and related proposals will be the "very first" items to be reviewed in the new session, which is set to begin in late February after the Lunar New Year holiday, Han and Chiang said.

The Legislature will fully discuss and review the related bills in line with the country's defense needs and public expectations, the statement said, adding that doing so would conform to democratic procedures and help Taiwanese society reach consensus on national defense.

Han and Chiang issued the statement in response to a letter from a group of 34 U.S. lawmakers from both chambers of Congress sent Thursday, expressing concern over the unprecedented threat from Beijing and the possibility that only part of the eight-year, NT$1.25 trillion special budget would be approved.

The two said they value open and frank exchanges with the United States and the views of American lawmakers, pledging to contribute to Taiwan's security and the maintenance of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

In the letter, the U.S. lawmakers said "the U.S. must address the massive backlog in weapons deliveries to Taiwan" while calling on Taiwan to significantly increase its defense spending "at levels reflected in President Lai Ching-te's proposed special budget."

Late last year, Taiwan's Cabinet proposed a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.5 billion) special defense budget for 2026-2033 to strengthen Taiwan's defense resilience and asymmetric capabilities.

However, the Legislative Yuan has repeatedly blocked its review since Lai announced it in November.

Backed by the main opposition KMT, the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) proposed its own version of a national defense special act on Jan. 30, which caps arms spending at NT$400 billion through 2033 and requires funding to be allocated on an annual basis.

On Monday, Lai said the special budget would amount to NT$156 billion per year. He cited Japan's and South Korea's defense budgets for 2026, which are NT$1.8 trillion and NT$1.4 trillion, respectively, saying Taiwan is financially capable of allocating the proposed defense spending given its economic strength.