Huang Kuo-chang: TPP caucus to propose its own Unmanned Vehicle Development Act, return to annual budget

Taipei, June 24 (CNA) Taiwan's government must establish a tiered "trusted supply chain" and supervise the implementation of a "non-green supply chain" to ensure national security through an independent drone industry, said Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang on Monday. The TPP caucus will draft its own "Unmanned Vehicle Development Act" and advocate for unmanned vehicles to be funded through the regular annual budget.

The Legislative Yuan passed a special act for military purchases in May, but it excluded items such as drones and unmanned boats. To continue promoting the development of indigenous defense unmanned vehicles, the Executive Yuan passed a draft special act for the procurement of indigenous defense unmanned vehicles on June 18. The act has an estimated budget ceiling of NT$210 billion and aims to acquire maritime surveillance and attack drones, as well as small suicide drones, from August this year to the end of 2031.

Huang stated in a press release that establishing an independent drone industry chain is a crucial part of national security. While the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) advocates for a "non-red supply chain" for drones, Huang emphasized the need to build a tiered "trusted supply chain" and supervise the implementation of a "non-green supply chain" to prevent corruption. The TPP legislative caucus will draft its own version of the bill, returning the funding for unmanned vehicles to the annual budget.

Huang mentioned that recent commentary suggested that the ruling and opposition parties should jointly form an "Unmanned Vehicle National Development Supervision Committee" with industry and academic representatives. He believes that apart from classified information, all bidding and contract information should be disclosed on public platforms, with regular updates on execution progress and procurement outcomes for public scrutiny. Huang considers this a viable direction and has instructed the caucus to evaluate it, aiming to balance national security, industrial development, and fiscal discipline through a systematic supervision mechanism, preventing indigenous defense from becoming a political handout.

The TPP pointed out that during a party-government coordination meeting held today, the TPP Policy Committee will present a comprehensive assessment report. While strengthening national resilience is important, special budgets should not become a "cash machine" for the government, nor should they create an easy way to circumvent annual budget reviews and weaken parliamentary oversight mechanisms.

The TPP stated that the caucus will propose the "Unmanned Vehicle Development Act" draft, drawing inspiration from U.S. legislation. In this model, the government's role shifts from purchaser and subsidizer to "rule-maker." Through tiered trusted supply chains, adaptive regulations for advanced air traffic, and export expansion mechanisms, the bill aims to replace special budgets with regular tools like annual budgets and financing guarantees, preventing special budgets from pathologically eroding fiscal discipline.

The TPP urges the Executive Yuan to address the structural issues of the drone industry's high reliance on government budgets and limited export scale. They call for prompt consultations with opposition caucuses to establish a foundational system that enables Taiwan's drone industry to truly possess international competitiveness.

Additionally, regarding the Zhubei mayoral election, Huang announced that the campaign team for Zhubei mayoral candidate Chiu Chen-yuan has been officially formed. Chai Pen-chiao, vice chairman of the Hsinchu chapter and a long-time figure in the tech industry, will serve as the campaign manager, while Huang Hsin-yu, a researcher from the policy committee, will be the spokesperson. (Edited by Lin Ke-lun) 1150624

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