Defense budget approval urged before China tripPOLITICAL PREREQUISITES: The Presidential Office urged Cheng Li-wun to recognize that most Taiwanese are in favor of swift passage of the defense budgetBy Su Yung-yao, Lee Wen-hsin and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporters, with staff writerPresidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) yesterday urged for the swift review of the special defense budget before Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit to China. Cheng on Monday said she has accepted Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) invitation to visit China from Tuesday next week until April 12. Kuo yesterday said Cheng’s KMT — which together with the Taiwan People’s Party hold a majority in the legislature — should pass the special defense budget needed to counter the continued military threat from China instead of visiting the country. The government’s plans to stabilize the economy cannot be enacted without the legislature’s approval, which is yet to happen more than 220 days after the Cabinet introduced this year’s general budget, Kuo said. Meanwhile, the Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee has completed the initial review of the special national defense budget bill, and all provisions are reserved for cross-party negotiations, with a cross-caucus negotiation originally scheduled for next Thursday.

Source: Taipei Times April 03, 2026 17:16 UTC