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2026-08-31 04:13 UTC → 2026-09-11 07:45 UTC ·
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Taiwan unmanned vehicle industry legislation passes Unmanned Vehicle Industry Act
Taiwanese defense officials initially faced legislative delays regarding the Special Act for the Procurement of Autonomous Unmanned Vehicles. The Ministry of National Defense sought the legislation to establish a stable budget, encourage private sector investment, and build a domestic supply chain free from Chinese components. Officials emphasized that modern warfare requires rapid technological updates through annual procurement cycles. Following these negotiations, the Legislative Yuan has passed the Unmanned Vehicle Industry Act. The approved Act, establishing a plan involves investing to invest 240 billion TWD over six years, with 40 billion TWD allocated annually. The legislation aims to Kuomintang caucus leader Fu Kun-chi expressed hope that the initiative would create a comprehensive industrial complete supply chain and includes the establishment of chain, potentially serving as a National “second protective mountain” for the nation, comparable to the semiconductor industry. Following the third reading, Premier Cho Jung-tai countersigned the ‘Act for Strengthening Defense Autonomy and Unmanned Vehicle Industry Development Strategic Special Committee Development’. Executive Yuan Secretary-General Chang Chun-han noted that despite differences between the passed version and the original draft, the government proceeded because “national defense security cannot wait, and industry upgrading cannot wait.” The Executive Yuan outlined two implementation principles: maintaining constitutional budget authority to address ensure funds meet actual defense and industry needs, and ensuring the strictest protection of national secrets regarding military deployment and supply chain security. The administration aims to use defense requirements to foster a stable market for unmanned aerial and international cooperation requirements. maritime vehicles, building a reliable “non-red supply chain.” To support these efforts, the Executive Yuan has requested the legislature to expedite a supplementary budget including 55.9 billion TWD for unmanned vehicle projects.