TAIPEI: Taiwan must demonstrate its resolve to defend itself and pass a six-year, T$210 billion ($6.6 billion) special budget to buy military drones, President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday ahead of a crucial vote in the opposition-controlled parliament.
Taiwan’s government says the plans to buy some 210,000 new military drones cannot wait, given the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have shown the importance of uncrewed weapons in modern warfare.
But the opposition, which controls parliament, has put forward its own proposals to cap spending each year at T$40 billion, drawn from the annual budget and overseen by the economy, not defense, ministry.
The government says with the threat from China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory, the drones are urgently needed to turn any conflict zone into a “hellscape” for the Chinese military.
Lai said that, in light of the evolution of modern warfare, drones have become a key component in the military’s efforts to build its “asymmetric” combat capability.
