The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would submit its own draft of the special defense budget by Friday next week, when the legislature is set to deliberate different versions of the bill, KMT spokesman Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) said today.
Following cross-party negotiations yesterday, the legislature agreed to schedule a review of the government’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.94 billion) special defense budget alongside all other versions of the bill in the Foreign Affairs and National Defense and Finance committees.
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) has submitted its own version that would allocate NT$400 billion for certain weapons systems, to be reviewed annually.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The KMT has previously said it would also propose a draft budget, but has not yet submitted one.
Under yesterday’s agreement, all other proposals must be submitted by Thursday next week.
Speaking on a radio program this morning, Niu said that the KMT would “certainly respond” to US expectations by reviewing the budget for arms purchases.
However, it first must make thorough preparations and gain a clear understanding of the situation before taking action, he said.
“We cannot fail to respond to the US side’s expectations,” he said.
Washington has its own reasons for making certain demands, which reflects routine defense preparations made in the past, Niu said.
The government should not spend money recklessly, but it is also wrong to arbitrarily claim that purchasing US military equipment does not contribute to national defense, he said.
However, if the Democratic Progressive Party attempts to sneak other items into the bill, the KMT “will not yield an inch,” he said, vowing to conduct a rigorous review.
The exact purchase amounts, precise legal wording and ensuring that the budget is not inflated require especially careful consideration, Niu said in explaining the delay.
The KMT and TPP also need to cooperate, but as the TPP caucus has recently undergone changes, it would require time to find a “good rhythm,” he added.
Following the "two-year clause” in its party charter, six of the TPP’s eight legislators-at-large stepped down mid-term to allow other candidates on the party list to take office.
The new members were sworn in earlier this month.
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