Taiwanese leader slams opposition parties for defense budget cuts

ISTANBUL

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te slammed opposition parties Tuesday for defense budget cuts.

Taipei is "fully committed to promoting defense reform," building a modern army, enhancing cooperation and exchanges with "with friendly countries," and "increasing the defense budget" every year, Lai said at the Lions Clubs International in Taipei, as the fourth part of the 10 Talks on the Country, according his Facebook post.

Lai said that although 3% of GDP was set as the defense budget, the Legislative Yuan, the unicameral legislature of Taipei, previously "froze," the funds.

The Legislative Yuan is dominated by opposition parties. Twenty-four lawmakers from the Opposition Kuomintang party (KMT) are facing controversial recall elections by the Lai administration.

The blocking of the funds "not only affected the operation of the national army, but also caused the international community to misunderstand Taiwan's determination to defend itself," added Lai.

Taiwan will continue to ensure the growth of the defense budget, he wrote.

"We are not merely purchasing [arms articles], we are also manufacturing them ourselves [and] co-developing, designing and producing [them] with the United States," said Lai, cited by the Focus Taiwan state news agency.

Opposition lawmakers had instituted major cuts in the national budget in January.

Lawmakers cut half of the funding for a defense submarine project in January, alongside other major cuts in the national budget, according to Taipei-based Central News Agency.

A total of NT$8.4 billion ($286 million) was cut from the proposed NT$647 billion defense budget, as well as a freeze of around NT$90 billion. Some of the frozen funds were later unfrozen, according to the news outlet.