Developing the Drone Industry: DPP Legislators Propose 550 Billion TWD Special Act

Following the passage of the National Defense Special Act on the 8th, DPP legislators Chung Chia-pin and Chen Pei-yu held a press conference today to announce the proposal of a "Special Act for the Creation of the Unmanned Vehicle Industry." They aim to fill the gap left by budget cuts from the opposition party, leveraging Taiwan's SME manufacturing capabilities, semiconductors, and AI advantages to reach a target of 550 billion TWD over five years, creating a new "protective mountain" for Taiwan's economy. Chung pointed out that the drone industry is currently hindered by fragmented regulations across multiple ministries, including the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Digital Affairs, and others. The proposed special act consists of 16 articles, designating the Ministry of Economic Affairs as the lead agency and the Ministry of Defense as the procurement side. It mandates that cybersecurity must exclude "red supply chains" (Chinese components) and provides temporary exemptions from existing laws like the Civil Aviation Act. It also offers policy incentives such as land, water, electricity, and loan subsidies. Regarding the budget, Chung explained that since the Executive Yuan's previous defense budget was cut by 470 billion TWD by the opposition, 550 billion TWD is a manageable amount. Chen noted that Taiwan's drone industry output grew from 5 billion TWD last year to 12.9 billion TWD this year, with major hubs in New Taipei, Taipei, and Taichung, and called on opposition parties to engage in transparent discussions.