Taiwan Approves Special Budget to Boost Defense Resilience
REPORTER:
Taiwan’s Cabinet has passed a new special budget, focusing on boosting resilience and improving the country’s defense. It’s a direct response to China’s increasing gray-zone threats.
REPORTER:
This is the Hualien, Taiwan’s fourth 1,000-ton patrol vessel. Just delivered to the coast guard, it’s part of the country’s efforts to boost domestic shipbuilding. Now, Taiwan is looking to pour even more resources into this area, with a proposed 272 million US dollars for new vessels designed to withstand strong winds, heavy seas and collisions. It’s just part of a 17.2 billion dollar special budget put forward by the Lai administration, focused on boosting resilience.
REPORTER:
The plan is getting support from some in Taiwan’s legislature. Chen Kuan-ting, a lawmaker on Taiwan’s foreign affairs and defense committee, told TaiwanPlus that Taiwan should build more small and medium-sized high-speed vessels, and step up coordination with the navy and local fisheries to respond more effectively.
REPORTER:
But beyond maritime security, the special budget would also strengthen cybersecurity and battlefield preparedness, while investing in domestic drone production. It comes amid increasing Chinese aggression against Taiwan, and what the Cabinet calls Beijing’s “hybrid warfare” which combines military intimidation with gray-zone warfare -- strategies that fall short of open conflict – but intended to wear down Taiwan’s military.
Wellington Koo (DEFENSE MINISTER):
In recent years, China has continuously carried out gray-zone harassment alongside the deterrence posed by military actions. We cannot turn a blind eye to the existence of such threats. Therefore, we must confront it directly. We must remain vigilant.
REPORTER:
Analysts say this approach is intensifying.
Su Tzu-yun (DEFENSE ANALYST, INDSR):
In my view, this budget is very important for Taiwan. Because the overall threat from China today is shifting from standard gray-zone operations to high-intensity gray-zone actions. In English, you might describe this as a shift from “light gray” to “dark gray.” This marks a change in the overall character of the threat.
REPORTER:
In addition to traditional military hardware, Taiwan is putting more emphasis on what it calls a “whole-of-society resilience” approach – which combines official responses to emergencies or disasters with a strong civil defense.
REPORTER:
The special budget will now go to the legislature, where it looks likely to get a majority vote.
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