Taiwan military says budget delay threatens $2.4 billion in weapons buying

A delay in approving Taiwan's budget this year threatens T$78 billion ($2.44 billion) in weapons procurement, maintenance and training, a senior defence ministry official said on Thursday.



Defence spending is set to increase by 22.9% to T$949.5 billion in 2026, President Lai Ching-te's administration said in August. At 3.32% of gross domestic product, the figure will cross the 3% threshold for the first time since 2009, government figures showed.



The government has said it needs to spend more to deter China, which claims sovereignty over the island and which has raised military pressure such as by holding war games. The United States has backed the budget increase.



But the opposition-dominated parliament has stalled passing the budget, as well as a separate proposal for $40 billion in extra military spending, saying that while it supports more defence expenditure, it will not sign "blank cheques".



The delay means the ministry will not be able to execute 21% of this year's budget under the original schedule, affecting T$78 billion in spending, Yen Ming-teh, head of the defence ministry's budgeting department, said at a news conference.