Taiwan starts review of defence bill as competing proposals expose divisions

2026-03-07 - 04:05

Taiwan’s legislature has agreed to begin reviewing a long-stalled special defence budget, but competing opposition proposals are set to complicate passage of the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) plan despite mounting pressure from the United States. Lawmakers began scrutinising the bill on Friday, as three rival proposals from the island’s main political parties exposed deep divisions over how much Taiwan should spend on defence and what mix of foreign weapons and home-grown...