Experts Raise Alarm as Deadlock Over Defense Budget Threatens US Arms Sale
Taiwan's Defense Budget Faces Deadline
REPORTER:
A March 15 deadline is fast approaching for Taiwan to finalize some deals to purchase weapons from Washington. But lawmakers are locking horns over how to fund the country’s military, including a 40 billion US dollar special defense budget proposed by President Lai Ching-te last year.
If they cannot reach a consensus before the deadline, analysts say there could be consequences.
Lin Ying-yu (PROFESSOR, TAMKANG UNIVERSITY):
Perhaps some people think that if something falls through we can simply resubmit the request. But in reality, time is a critical factor. During that process, there could be new developments or shifts, whether in the US or among other buyers, that might affect [our procurement]. So at this stage, we should try to minimize any factors that could negatively impact our ability to acquire these weapons and instead maximize the conditions that support and facilitate the procurement process.
REPORTER:
Last month, the opposition Taiwan People’s Party proposed a much smaller alternative to Lai’s bill, funding only the three weapons systems that Taipei had already signed for. The main opposition Kuomintang says it plans to put forward its own proposal as well. But how the two parties came up with their bills, compared to Lai’s—a result of in-depth consultations with the US—is not clear. That has some defense experts concerned.
Tony Hu (FORMER PENTAGON OFFICIAL):
This is a long, comprehensive process. What I now want to know is what was the process for coming up with the KMT and TPP proposals? How are they evaluating these requirements? On what basis are they deciding that which items should be rejected or approved? If the reasoning is purely financial, that does not seem entirely reasonable. Your requirements should be based on the threat, right?
REPORTER:
The US is also pressuring Taiwanese lawmakers to move quickly. Early this month, multiple members of Congress posted on social media slamming Taiwan’s opposition for blocking Lai’s defense bill. Later, a bipartisan group of 37 US lawmakers wrote an open letter to the opposition. It urged them to focus more on Taiwan’s defenses and take China’s threats seriously.
REPORTER:
It's now up to Taiwan’s legislature which defense bill will be passed, but with the US arms sale now pending and China growing bolder by the day, how they choose could have major implications from Taipei to Beijing to Washington.
Yuan Tuan and Lery Hiciano, for TaiwanPlus.
