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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Opposition delays review of drone procurement bill
Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers hold up placards protesting against the opposition during a vote on the Cabinet’s proposed special budget for drone procurement. Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
‘NOT A PARTISAN ISSUE’: There is no room for gaps in defense and delays in building military capabilities, Michelle Lee said, urging all parties to prioritize national interests
/ Staff writer, with CNA
The opposition-controlled legislature yesterday voted to delay the review of a NT$210 billion （US$6.6 billion） Cabinet-proposed special budget bill for drone procurement, saying that it plans to draft its own versions of the legislation.
A motion by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） caucus to refer the bill to committee review was voted down by the Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） and the Taiwan People’s Party （TPP）.
During the vote, the Democratic Progressive Party’s （DPP） Legislator and Taichung mayoral candidate Ho Hsin-chun （何欣純） held up a placard, bowed toward Deputy Legislative Speaker Johnny Chiang （江啟臣） — who is also running for the same position — and called out: “Do not block drones.”
KMT Legislator Alicia Wang （王育敏） stepped in to block Ho, saying: “The deputy speaker is not blocking drones — do not make unfounded claims.”
Ho stopped shouting, but bowed six more times.
KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi （傅?萁） said his caucus is drafting its own version of the bill, adding that there is strong support for the drone industry, including incentives such as tax breaks and other measures.
Discussions are still under way, and the proposal is expected to be formally introduced next week, he said.
The opposition would likely allow the Cabinet’s bill to proceed to committee review alongside the KMT’s version, he added.
TPP deputy caucus convener Wang An-hsiang （王安祥） said his caucus would also submit its own version of the bill, adding that all proposals would first be discussed in cross-caucus negotiations before advancing to a plenary session.
The Cabinet unveiled the bill on Thursday last week, which aimed to provide funding for domestic drone procurement cut by opposition parties from a NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget bill last month.
The opposition had passed an alternative bill, with a spending cap of NT$780 billion that excluded funding for drones, uncrewed surface vessels, joint command-and-control systems and TK-4 anti-ballistic missiles.
The Ministry of National Defense said the Cabinet’s latest bill would fund the procurement of 1,446 coastal reconnaissance drones, 208,200 coastal attack drones and 1,320 uncrewed surface vessels from August this year to the end of 2031.
The funding would enable it to place large, long-term orders with domestic defense contractors, support innovation and help the industry keep pace with rapidly evolving drone technology, it added.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee （李慧芝） said there is no room for gaps in national defense and building military capabilities cannot be delayed even for one day.
National security should not be a partisan issue, she added, urging ruling and opposition parties to prioritize national interests and quickly refer the Cabinet’s special budget bill to committee review.
Additional reporting by Lin Hsin-han and Chung Li-hua
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
