Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs
Taiwan's economy ministry, competent authority for the 2026 drone industry act.
Taiwan's drone industry act, passed 60 to 50 on 27 August 2026 and promulgated on 11 September, names the Ministry of Economic Affairs as competent authority for building the industry, while the defence ministry buys the drones.
Last refreshed: 1 October 2026
Timeline for Taiwan Ministry of Economic Affairs
Mentioned in: Taiwan votes down NT$210bn drone budget
Drones: Industry & DefenceBackground
The Ministry of Economic Affairs sets Taiwan's industry, trade, energy and investment policy and oversees state-owned firms such as Taiwan Power and CPC. J.W. Kuo has been minister since 20 May 2024.
The Act on Strengthening Defense Autonomy and Developing the Unmanned Vehicles Industry gives the ministry a defence-industrial role. The act earmarks, in principle, NT$40bn a year for six years for uncrewed systems, tells the defence ministry to prioritise domestic makers and bars mainland Chinese suppliers from procurement under it.
That split turns a military purchase into industrial policy: the defence ministry buys, while the economy ministry builds the supplier base. Each year's tranche still needs its own vote in the opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan, so the ministry's industry plans rest on annual funding decisions.