TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's defense budget for the upcoming year has sparked intense political debate, with the Democratic Progressive Party, DPP (民進黨), Taiwan's ruling party, proposing a NT$949.5 billion (around US$30.6 billion) allocation for national security in 2026. The ambitious proposal marks a substantial 186.2% increase over the past nine years of defense spending.
Kuomintang, KMT (國民黨), Taiwan's main opposition party, legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) raised concerns late Tuesday (Dec. 2) about the budget's unprecedented size in a Facebook post. Wang suggested the spending trend indicates a concerning move toward 'Ukrainization' of Taiwan's defense strategy. She warned against following Ukraine's path of heavy military spending amid ongoing conflict.
President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) also aims to introduce a special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (around US$40.3 billion) over eight years for military modernization. The ambitious plan potentially sets annual defense spending between NT$1.1 trillion (around US$35.5 billion) and NT$1.2 trillion (around US$38.7 billion). This represents a significant escalation in Taiwan's defense commitments amid regional security tensions.
Wang highlighted that Taiwan's military expenditure, similar to Ukraine's wartime spending, comprises 31% of the total budget. She cited a Formosa Publishing (美麗島電子報) poll showing 33.5% of respondents believe the defense budget share is excessive. The poll found 35.9% find it appropriate, while 13% consider it insufficient for Taiwan's security needs.
