President highlights defense budget urgency during military inspection

Kaohsiung/Taipei, April 17 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Friday called for the swift passage of a special defense budget during an inspection of the Army Infantry Training Command in Kaohsiung, stressing the need to strengthen Taiwan's military preparedness.

The NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) budget, which the Cabinet submitted to the Legislature for review last November, is under committee review.

The bill would fund weapons systems approved by the United States for sale to Taiwan in December 2025, arms sale packages that have not yet been notified to the U.S. Congress, and initiatives involving local manufacturers.

The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People's Party (TPP) have submitted their own versions of the budget bill due to disagreements over the scope and cost of the bill.

Lai said at the Army command that the budget should be approved without cuts to support the acquisition of highly mobile and precision weapons.

"Only through constant preparedness can threats be deterred," Lai said, reiterating that Taiwan's strategy is to avoid war through readiness and stop war through strength.

The president emphasized that the proposed budget, based on professional assessment, is both necessary and affordable amid Taiwan's economic growth.

He described it as a key investment in safeguarding democracy, strengthening defense capabilities, and supporting service members.

Amid a complex regional security environment, Lai said the funding will enhance the military's ability to respond to modern warfare and send a clear signal internationally of Taiwan's resolve to defend itself.

Meanwhile, four U.S. senators who traveled to Taiwan in March on Thursday (U.S. time) published a letter to Taiwan's lawmakers, informing them that an announcement of new weapons sales to Taiwan is expected soon.

The letter, signed by Democratic senators Jeanne Shaheen and Jacky Rosen and Republican senators Thom Tillis and John Curtis, was addressed to Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啓臣), Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), KMT Legislator Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) and TPP Legislator Wang An-hsiang (王安祥).

In the message, published on Curtis' website, the senators mentioned that in their discussions in Taiwan with Lai and his national security team, and with legislators, they noted a "consistent" request that the U.S. honor its commitment to Taiwan's defense through approved arms sales and packages that have not yet been formally notified to Congress.

"The United States Congress is fully committed to the timely delivery of critical capabilities to Taiwan and we expect that pending sales will be announced in the coming weeks," they wrote.

They also voiced their support for the Cabinet's special defense budget bill -- the broadest in both scope and size among competing bills.

"While we advocate to build on the historic $11 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan announced last December, we ask that the LY approve a supplementary defense budget that enables not only procurement of American equipment but also speedier domestic production of asymmetric capabilities," the senators wrote.