If Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament continues to block proposed additional defense spending of $40 billion, the international community may misunderstand the island's determination to defend itself, President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday, as quoted by "Reuters".
Pressure on Parliament to Keep on Defense Spending Has Intensified by Politicians in the United States, Taiwan's Most Important International Supporter and Arms Supplier, Despite Lack of Formal Diplomatic Relations.
On Monday, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Armed Services Committee and one of Taiwan's strongest advocates in the U.S. Congress, wrote in X that he was "disappointed" Taiwan's opposition parties are cutting Lai's defense budget.
At a meeting of his Democratic Progressive Party, Lai said that if the opposition continues to block the plans and insist on its own version, "it will certainly slow down the improvements in defense capabilities."
This "could cause the international community to misunderstand Taiwan's determination to defend itself and keep peace in the Indo-Pacific region," Lai added in comments provided by his party.
Another US lawmaker, Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, a staunch supporter of the Trump administration, directly criticized the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's largest opposition party, whose top officials are now visiting Beijing.
"You don't have to be a genius to understand what's going on here," he wrote in a post on X, referring to the visit. "I have warned before - underestimating Taiwan's defense to submit to China is playing with fire."
Taiwan's opposition-dominated parliament blocked Lai's budget plan, which included missiles and drones, as well as the new "T-Dome" air defense system, instead insisting on a proposal to fund only certain U.S. weapons, not the entire package."
The KMT said that while it supported strengthening Taiwan's defenses, it had the right to fully scrutinize government spending plans and would not sign "blank checks."
"We thank the members of the U.S. Senate for their valuable contributions," it said in a statement in English.
"The KMT remains fully committed to protecting Taiwan's security, strengthening our defense capabilities, and constructively engaging through dialogue to achieve peace and stability in the strait."
China regularly holds military exercises around Taiwan and refuses to talk to Lai, calling him a "separatist". Lai says only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
"We must uphold the concept that "the two sides of the strait are one family," Wang Huning, China's top official in charge of Taiwan policy, told Kuomintang Vice Chairman Xiao Xu-tseng during a meeting in Beijing earlier on Wednesday.
Both the Kuomintang and the ruling Communist Party of China should "resolutely oppose Taiwan independence separatism and interference by external forces, and jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," state media quoted Wang as saying.