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.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
DO THEY BITE IT? Cats have better memories than people might think, but their motivation is based entirely around the chance of getting fed Cats can remember the identity of the people who fed them the day before, Taipei-based veterinarians said on Friday, debunking a popular myth that cats have a short memory. If a stray does not recognize the person who fed them the previous day, it is likely because they are not carrying food and the cat has no reason to recognize them, said Wu Chou Animal Hospital head Chen Chen-huan (陳震寰). “When cats come to a human bearing food, it is coming for the food, not the person,” he said. “The food is the key.” Since the cat’s attention is on the food, it
Taiwan must act to preempt potential Section 301 investigations as US President Donald Trump moves to a new tariff strategy, following a US Supreme Court ruling that voided tariff measures, an academic said yesterday. Countries running the largest trade surpluses with the US face a growing likelihood of Section 301 investigations, Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research president Lien Hsien-ming (連賢明) said. Section 301 refers to a provision of the Trade Act of 1974 that allows Washington to impose retaliatory tariffs over perceived unfair trade practices, including the running of large trade surpluses. Because Taiwan has become the fourth-largest source of the US’ trade
People hold incense and pray with offerings in front of Taipei’s Kuanghwa Market yesterday. The fifth day of the Lunar New Year is traditionally about welcoming the God of Wealth, during which companies and shops set off firecrackers to celebrate their reopening and pray for good business in the new year.
RSS