By AFP and Focus | 2026-03-09

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwan's main opposition party said it will back more than $11 billion in special funding for US weapons purchases and left the door open to more acquisitions but insisted it will not write a "blank check" for the government.

Under US pressure to spend more, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te's government has proposed $40 billion in funding for critical defense purchases, including US arms, over eight years.

But the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP), which together control parliament, have stalled Lai's proposal and instead drawn up their own stripped-down versions of the spending bill.

Taiwan has spent billions upgrading its defenses as China steps up military pressure on the island, which Beijing claims is part of its territory and has threatened to seize by force.

The KMT said on March 5 that it proposed allocating more than $11 billion to cover the cost of US arms sales announced in December and pledged to review further weapons purchases once they were approved by US Congress.

The KMT initially proposed 350 billion TWD [$11.2 billion] + n" in spending but later raised the figure to "380 billion TWD [$12.2 billion] + n" without initially explaining the change.

The additional funding refers to confirmed US arms purchases backed by formal Letters of Offer and Acceptance, the KMT said later.

'Contradictions' in opposition proposal: DPP

The TPP previously proposed $12.6 billion for military purchases. The three spending bills reached a parliamentary committee for review on March 6.

"We hope to advance arms procurement through a phased, concrete, and clearly defined approach, rather than granting a one-off authorization, a blank check with no spending cap and no detailed content," KMT caucus secretary-general Jonathan Lin told reporters.

"Such an arrangement ensures efficiency while upholding procedural justice, enabling the public to clearly understand the necessity and rationality of each additional expenditure."

Lai's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said the KMT's bill contained "contradictions" that could complicate Taiwan's arms purchases.

"In arms procurement, the process usually begins with an intention to purchase, followed by the allocation of a budget," DPP caucus chief executive Chuang Jui-hsiung said.

"Breaking up the 1.25 trillion TWD [$40 billion] plan into fragmented pieces could affect the timeline for Taiwan's defense procurement."

The cabinet's 1.25 trillion TWD ($40 billion) special defense budget would cover both approved and potential arms purchases, including future acquisitions such as drones and a domestically developed T-Dome multilayered air defense system.

By contrast, the KMT proposal would allocate 380 billion TWD ($12.2 billion) plus additional funding tied only to confirmed purchases, leaving out several potential procurement items included in the government's broader plan.

Opposition lawmakers have demanded greater transparency and oversight of the government's planned military purchases.

The KMT said commercial and domestic procurement required "strict scrutiny" and should not be combined with US weapon purchases.

"The KMT has always supported US government-to-government arms sales," the KMT said in a statement on March 5.

"However, commercial procurement is where corruption and controversy most often occur. These two categories must never be bundled together to pressure the public and the legislature into approving them as a single package."

Washington wants action

Washington has urged Taiwan's lawmakers to move quickly on the spending plan.

"We encourage all parties in Taiwan's legislature to work through political differences and quickly pass a special defense budget that demonstrates Taiwan's commitment to its self-defense by funding the acquisition of critical defense capabilities," an unnamed US State Department spokesperson told Taiwan's Central News Agency.

US President Donald Trump said in February he would decide soon on whether to send more weapons to Taiwan, after Chinese President Xi Jinping warned him not to do so.

Trump is scheduled to travel to Beijing from March 31 to April 2 to meet Xi.