DPP Urges Opposition to Swiftly Pass Drone Budget, Build Tri-Strategic Industry

Taipei, June 23 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesperson Lin Chu-yin said today that the government has responsibly prepared a budget for drones and urged opposition parties to support its swift passage. This will not only demonstrate Taiwan's firm commitment to self-defense but also build drones into a national strategic industry encompassing "defense autonomy, industrial upgrading, and Taiwan-US cooperation."

The DPP issued a press release stating that in response to the global geopolitical situation, European and American countries are accelerating the phasing out of Chinese-made drones and are fully seeking alternatives in the "non-red supply chain."

Lin Chu-yin said that the Executive Yuan last week proposed a draft special act for the procurement of autonomous drones for national defense, allocating a special budget of NT$210 billion. Through a three-pronged approach of "annual budget, special act, and supplementary budget," this aims to fill the NT$1.25 trillion gap in national defense capabilities. This move not only demonstrates Taiwan's determination for self-defense to the international community but is also a crucial step in strengthening domestic defense momentum and driving the transformation and upgrading of the domestic technology industry.

Lin Chu-yin pointed out that Taiwan's drone industry has seen explosive growth in the international market. At the recent Taiwan Expo held in Poland, Taiwanese drone companies secured over NT$1.5 billion in business opportunities within three days, indicating the unprecedented enthusiasm from European countries for Taiwan's "non-red supply chain" as they enhance their own defense autonomy.

Lin Chu-yin stated that drones present a new opportunity for deepening Taiwan-US cooperation. AIT Director Brent Christensen recently met with Legislative Yuan Vice President Chiang Chi-chen and specifically highlighted the drone industry as a new bright spot in Taiwan-US economic and defense cooperation. Christensen further stated at the "Global Summit on Supply Chain Resilience Strategy" that Taiwan should strengthen its deterrence against threats by investing in drones. This shows that the US clearly expects a strategic partnership in building a drone supply chain, and the opposition parties should not continue to block this crucial budget for Taiwan-US cooperation and national security in the Legislative Yuan for the sake of political infighting.

Lin Chu-yin emphasized that drones are a contested area in global technology. The drone budget is vital for the strategic layout of the democratic supply chain and the improvement of the combat readiness of the armed forces. We hope that the legislature will quickly review and pass the relevant budget. (Editor: Wan Shu-chang) 0623

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