Taiwan’s defence ministry is preparing to request a record-breaking $33 billion in special funding to strengthen the island’s defences against a potential Chinese attack, a senior lawmaker has revealed.
Wang Ting-yu, a member of President Lai Ching-te’s Democratic Progressive Party and a leading voice on the Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee, told AFP that the ministry is drafting a special budget of NT$800 billion to NT$1 trillion ($26–33 billion) to be spent over the next seven years.
The exact figure, he noted, will depend on ongoing negotiations with the United States over future arms sales included in the package.
“We want to build a complete defence ecology to defend our country,” Wang said, describing the plan as a “huge” upgrade to Taiwan’s self-defence capabilities.
According to Wang, the proposed budget will focus on:
Integrating Taiwan’s air defence systems for stronger and faster coordination.
Acquiring advanced technologies from foreign partners to detect and respond to small drones, rockets, and missiles.
Boosting domestic production and stockpiling of ammunition to prepare for prolonged conflict.
The move comes as Taiwan faces mounting military pressure from Beijing, which claims the island as its own territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under its control.
If approved, the special funding would represent one of Taiwan’s most ambitious defence investments to date — a clear signal of its determination to fortify its military readiness amid escalating regional tensions.
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