Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te has appealed for public support amid a dispute about a special military budget, warning that the deadlock could delay key weapons deliveries and send the island down the US arms supply priority list.
The NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special budget has been repeatedly blocked by opposition parties, even as Taipei has come under increasing US pressure to prove its commitment to its own defence .
Lai said this week that strengthening defence spending was “not an act of provocation” but a “necessary step to safeguard security and maintain regional stability”.
At a news conference on Wednesday, he also urged lawmakers on all sides to begin a substantive review of the special budget bill when the legislature reopened on February 24 after the Lunar New Year holiday.
Admiral Mei Chia-shu, the chief of the general staff, said at the same press briefing that Taiwan had already finished coordinating its plans with the US over pricing, delivery and supply schedules.