Taiwan's President Lai: Defense autonomy funding cuts are strange, but commitment remains

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te expressed bewilderment over the legislature's decision to completely eliminate funding for defense autonomy initiatives, specifically mentioning drone programs. Despite this significant budget cut, Lai assured that the government remains committed to advancing its defense capabilities.

Speaking at a "Healthy Taiwan Deep Cultivation Forum" in Kaohsiung, Lai outlined his vision for a prosperous, happy, and democratic Taiwan. He noted that while the legislative branch removed all defense autonomy funding, "we have not given up!" He added that the government hopes to work diligently to gain legislative approval in the future.

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The legislative branch completely cut the defense autonomy funding, which is very strange, but 'we have not given up!'

Lai also touched upon Taiwan's economic performance, stating that the stock market has reached 46,000 points. He mentioned that the projected economic growth rate for the year has been revised upward by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics from 7.71% to 9.64%. The government intends to pursue a "New Ten Major Constructions of AI," focusing on talent cultivation, establishing computing power and data centers, and promoting balanced national development.

The president emphasized key technologies such as silicon photonics, quantum computing, and robotics. The goal is to assist one million small and medium-sized enterprises in completing digital transformation using artificial intelligence by 2040. This initiative aims to build an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, positioning Taiwan as a comprehensive AI ecosystem nation with applications in smart healthcare, education, and engineering. However, he lamented the legislative rejection of drone-related budgets, calling it "very strange."

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This time, the defense budget review was also very strange, completely deleting all the defense autonomy funding, especially the drones.