China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and threatens to use force to seize it. In recent years, Taiwan has increased its defense spending but remains dependent on U.S. support for security to deter Beijing.
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“Time is running out, and the sooner a comprehensive drone law is passed, the better,” said Republican Representative Young Kim during a visit by the bipartisan U.S. Congressional delegation to Taipei on Friday.
“The wars in Ukraine and Iran show that Taiwan needs to buy and produce drones on a massive scale,” Y. Kim said at the presidential office, where U.S. lawmakers met with President Lai Ching-te.
Under heavy U.S. pressure to allocate more funds for security, Lai Ching-te’s government is committed to increasing defense spending to five percent of GDP by 2030.
The cornerstone of this spending is smaller and more flexible weaponry, including drones, so that Taiwan’s military can wage asymmetric warfare against a more powerful adversary.
Lai Ching-te wants to allocate up to 210 billion Taiwan dollars (5.65 billion euros) over more than five years for domestically produced unmanned aerial vehicles, including coastal reconnaissance, attack, and overwater drones.
The Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s main opposition party advocating closer ties with China, has proposed allocating 240 billion Taiwan dollars (6.46 billion euros) over six years.
However, the KMT wants to limit spending to 40 billion Taiwan dollars (1.08 billion euros) per year and include it in the annual budget.
“We are committed to continuing to increase Taiwan’s military budget and strengthen the whole society’s defense resilience,” Lai Ching-te told the U.S. delegation.
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“We will also deepen cooperation with democratic partners to demonstrate our resolve and ability to jointly deter aggression and respond to threats,” he said.
In May, the KMT and Taiwan People’s Party approved a special defense budget of 25 billion U.S. dollars (21.78 million euros), reducing by a third the amount requested by Lai Ching-te’s Democratic Progressive Party.
The opposition cut about 15 billion U.S. dollars (13.07 billion euros) that the government wanted to use for purchasing domestic drones and other efforts to strengthen defense.
Y. Kim called the passage of the 25 billion U.S. dollar defense law a “huge achievement” but said more needs to be done to strengthen Taiwan’s security and support.
“Every new defense measure taken, including strengthening Taiwan’s military reserve, strengthens the resolve of free people worldwide to resist the malicious intentions of the Chinese Communist Party,” Y. Kim said.
“The more concrete steps Taiwan takes, the more the U.S. can do to support it,” she said, adding that “deterrence requires efforts from both sides, so help us help you.”
Taiwan is a relatively new player in the increasingly competitive drone industry.
The island aims for its production capacity to reach 100,000 drones per month by 2030, compared to the previous target of 15,000 by 2028.
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