DPP Accuses KMT of Politicizing Food Safety, Blocking $44.2 Billion Disaster Relief Drone Program

In response to the KMT's proposal to block a NT$44.2 billion drone industry initiative, DPP spokesperson Wu Cheng used social media to accuse the KMT of politicizing food safety issues to dominate headlines and public discourse, while secretly targeting Taiwan's drone development behind the scenes. Wu stated that while the KMT, through figures like Cheng Li-fen and Chiang Wan-an, has taken to the streets and even seen youth members stage hunger strikes over food safety, it is simultaneously attempting to block government-backed drone programs.

Wu pointed out that the KMT had previously eliminated all defense-related drone budgets, and this latest move to block a NT$44.2 billion drone program—unrelated to national defense—directly undermines disaster relief efforts. He cited the June incident in which the Matasibung Creek flooded, sweeping away and leaving a construction site supervisor missing. In that case, a drone equipped with thermal imaging and AI-powered human detection systems was instrumental in rescuing the individual in time.

Wu further explained that the disaster relief drones targeted by the KMT's budget block are intended for applications including disaster prevention and reconnaissance, fire scene monitoring, water rescue and mountain search and rescue, river and hydraulic engineering inspections, and real-time monitoring of landslides and mudslides. Regarding the KMT's budget obstruction, Wu strongly questioned whether saving lives through disaster relief had now become an act of provocation against China.