Taiwan's opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan voted 60 to 50 on Thursday 27 August for an act requiring the government to earmark, in principle, NT$40bn a year for six years for uncrewed systems, with the defence ministry told to prioritise domestic makers1. The same day it rejected the Cabinet's NT$210bn special drone budget. The act, which also bars mainland Chinese suppliers from drone procurement under it, passed its final reading that day.
The vote changes how the money arrives. A special budget would have authorised the spending in one go. The act sets an annual baseline instead, so in practice every year's tranche needs its own vote in a chamber the opposition controls. Defence Minister Wellington Koo said the ministry had already programmed more than the baseline for 2027.
The Cabinet, formally the Executive Yuan, said on 30 August that it would expedite funding, while expressing "deep regret" at the rejection2. Officials indicated it would co-sign the act rather than fight it. Taiwanese drone makers gain a preference written into law, while the timing of each year's orders now rests on a fresh vote.
