Taiwan lawmakers approve $7.6B drone budget

Taiwan's government is pushing a six-year, 210 billion TWD special budget to buy more than 210,000 drones and rapidly strengthen its defence capabilities amid heightened threats from China, arguing the drone program is essential for modern warfare and deterrence. President Lai Ching-te has urged Parliament to approve the plan, framing it as a clear show of self-defence and resolve to deter aggression, while debates over pace and scale continue. The opposition controls Parliament and has proposed alternative funding mechanisms, including annual caps and oversight by the economics ministry rather than the defence ministry, with a commonly cited figure around 240 billion TWD over six years or 40 billion TWD per year. Proponents say the multi-year, targeted approach would enable steady procurement and upgrades rather than a one-off purchase, and would bolster Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare capabilities in the face of China’s coercive pressures. Critics warn that funding and oversight arrangements could hinder timely buildup, potentially leaving Taiwan underprepared, and they highlight dangers of delays in a multiyear program. Across outlets, the emphasis remains on drones as central to Taiwan’s modernization and deterrence strategy, with the political impasse adding uncertainty to the path forward.