Taiwan's Kuomintang proposes $7.5 billion drone funding plan

Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), has submitted legislation to allocate NT$240 billion (about US$7.5 billion) over six years for the development and procurement of unmanned systems. The proposal would channel the funding through the regular annual budget, giving legislators yearly oversight, and requires at least 50% of drone components to be domestically sourced within two years, rising to over 80% in four years.

The KMT’s plan contrasts with the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s special‑budget proposal of NT$210 billion for drone procurement, which the KMT argues lacks sufficient parliamentary scrutiny and could be vulnerable to shifting political priorities. Both sides stress the strategic importance of drones amid heightened security concerns over China’s claims on the island and the demonstrated battlefield value of unmanned systems in conflicts such as Ukraine and Iran. Earlier in May, the opposition also backed a special defence budget of NT$780 billion for U.S. arms purchases, but opposed the DPP’s earlier drone funding bill, citing a need for greater transparency and domestic industrial development.