Overview
- Opposition parties Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party used their majority to pass the special defense bill as Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers abstained in protest.
- The NT$780 billion cap lands between the DPP’s NT$1.25 trillion proposal and the KMT’s earlier “NT$380 billion plus N” framework after months of bargaining.
- The package funds U.S. weapon sales to Taiwan and drops many homegrown programs, including drones, AI-enabled battlefield systems, and indigenous missile projects.
- Critics across Taiwan question the price tag and the lack of detail in the plan, and a Democracy Foundation poll found 57.6% believe arms purchases alone will not keep the island safe.
- Analysts say pressure from Washington likely drove opposition support for the larger package ahead of a planned meeting between President Donald Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping.