Taiwan Defense Chief Dismisses Opposition’s Scaled-Back Military Budget Proposal

Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo rejected an opposition party's alternative defense spending plan that would fund only 30% of the government's requested $40 billion military budget. The Kuomintang party's counter-proposal includes a 2028 deadline that Koo says would make weapons projects impossible to complete.

Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo dismissed a rival political party’s alternative military spending plan on Friday, calling their proposed timeline unrealistic and their funding insufficient to meet the island’s security needs.

The Kuomintang opposition party, working with a smaller allied party that together control parliament, put forward their own defense budget proposal this week that would allocate roughly one-third of the $40 billion in additional military spending requested by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te.

President Lai had announced the substantial defense spending increase last year as a response to escalating military threats from China, which continues pressing Taiwan to acknowledge Chinese sovereignty over the island. The United States has also urged Taiwan to significantly boost its defense expenditures.

Rather than reviewing the president’s original proposal, the opposition parties advanced their own plan limiting spending to T$380 billion ($11.96 billion) with all projects required to finish by the end of 2028.

Speaking to media in Taipei, Minister Koo explained that the government’s spending plan covers advanced artillery systems and unmanned anti-armor equipment.

“If everything is required to be delivered and fully implemented before that deadline, it would in effect shut down these projects, making their execution impossible,” he said.

The opposition’s proposal also restricts weapons purchases to government-to-government deals with the United States while blocking commercial sales channels, which the Kuomintang views as prone to irregularities and insufficient oversight.

Koo countered that eliminating commercial procurement options would “create a major gap in our overall defence and operational capabilities and significantly undermine the improvement of our joint combat capabilities.”

The defense minister emphasized that both the U.S. administration and Congress support the government’s comprehensive spending proposal.

Kuomintang leaders have criticized President Lai’s military budget as “sky-high” and lacking transparency, demanding stronger oversight mechanisms.

KMT chairperson Cheng Li-wun recently revealed her party maintains communication with China’s Communist Party leadership and expressed hopes to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a potential China visit this year.

Beijing regularly conducts military exercises in waters surrounding Taiwan and refuses diplomatic engagement with President Lai, whom Chinese officials label a “separatist.” Lai maintains that Taiwan’s citizens alone should determine their island’s future.

The budget dispute comes amid increasing pressure from American lawmakers, who serve as Taiwan’s primary international ally and weapons supplier, to avoid delays in defense spending approvals.