TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's parliament members approved a motion on Friday (Jan. 23) demanding President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) deliver a national security report. The caucuses of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT, 國民黨) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP, 民眾黨) garnered 55 votes, surpassing the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP, 民進黨) 51 votes in a session attended by 106 members of the Legislative Yuan (立法院). The vote marks a significant procedural victory for the opposition.
The motion follows President Lai's proposal last year to allocate NT$1.25 trillion (around US$39.6 billion) for defense over the next eight years. The KMT and TPP caucuses insisted on the president's report before allowing the proposal to proceed to committee review. They also pushed for President Lai to honor his Monday debate pledge, in which he committed to discuss national security, cross-strait relations, U.S. arms purchases, and defense budget planning during interpellation by legislators.
Raymond F. Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the top U.S. official in Taiwan, emphasized on Thursday the U.S. commitment to preventing aggression in the first island chain, and underscored the importance of the NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Washington might increase pressure on Taiwan's opposition parties to expedite the review of the proposal. ◼