A U.S. Senate delegation visiting Taiwan signaled pressure on Taiwan’s legislature to expedite passing a special defense budget exceeding US$40 billion, or about 1.31 trillion baht. They emphasized that while the U.S. stands ready to support Taiwan, Taiwan must also invest in its own defense amid ongoing disputes between the ruling and opposition parties over the budget figures.
The bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation, led by Republican John Curtis and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen, met with President Tsai Ing-wen to stress the urgent need for Taiwan to approve a special defense budget exceeding US$40 billion, or about 1.31 trillion baht, to strengthen its military capabilities.
Senator Curtis said passing this budget is "extremely important" for the United States, stating, "We want to ensure that while we invest in this region, you are also investing, to demonstrate that we are addressing this challenge together."
Currently, Taiwan’s legislature is divided over budget figures between the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT). The DPP proposes a budget of NT$1.25 trillion (approximately 1.28 trillion baht) for purchasing key weapons, including arms from the U.S., while the KMT seeks to allocate only NT$380 billion (about 389.9 billion baht) for U.S. arms, with conditions for additional purchases in the future.
However, signs of internal division have emerged within the KMT, as some lawmakers push to increase the budget above the party’s proposal in response to pressure from the U.S., Taiwan’s largest security supporter.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen expressed concern about escalating pressure from the Chinese government, especially military activities around Taiwan that risk miscalculations. She affirmed that U.S. assistance would remain "strong and sustainable."
During the visit, the Senate delegation toured the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) to observe drone and defense equipment development. Although the budget has yet to be approved, Taiwan’s legislature has greenlit the government to sign agreements to purchase four U.S. weapons systems worth nearly US$9 billion, including the M109A7 self-propelled howitzer, Javelin anti-tank missiles, TOW 2B missiles, and the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
Senior DPP legislator Wang Ting-yu said the ruling party might compromise to a budget of NT$900 billion if the opposition allows the budget to extend beyond just purchasing U.S. arms.
Source: AFP