US senator urges legislature to pass stalled defense budgetBy Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEIThe Legislative Yuan should pass a stalled special defense budget to send a signal to China and the world that it is serious about peace through strength, US Senator Jim Banks said during ‌a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) in Taipei. Lai last year proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.33 billion) in extra defense spending over eight years to counter China’s aggression. Banks was one of a group of 37 bipartisan US lawmakers who in February wrote to senior Taiwanese politicians expressing concern about the legislature stalling defense spending plans. A separate group of US lawmakers gave a similar message urging the legislature to pass the defense budget during a visit to Taipei last week. The KMT says it supports defense spending but refuses to sign "blank checks.”Dialogue with Beijing is equally important, it says.

Source: Taipei Times April 09, 2026 04:12 UTC