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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Elections & Politics

Tsai urges legislature to pass drone bill, says defense shouldn't be wasted time

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • President Tsai Ing-wen urged lawmakers to pass legislation on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), emphasizing national defense needs.
  • He criticized opposition proposals that place economic affairs ministries in charge of UAV regulations, arguing it doesn't align with military requirements.
  • Tsai stressed that national interests and security should not be sacrificed for political infighting, highlighting the importance of UAVs as asymmetric warfare tools.

President Tsai Ing-wen has called on the legislature to prioritize the passage of a government-proposed bill on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), stating that national defense should not be held up by political disputes.

Political infighting is inevitable, but national interests, people's lives, and property safety cannot be used as bargaining chips for political struggles.

— Tsai Ing-wenPresident Tsai Ing-wen urged lawmakers to prioritize national interests over political disputes when considering defense legislation.

During a visit to a UAV research facility in Taichung, Tsai reiterated his stance against opposition proposals that designate the Ministry of Economic Affairs as the primary regulator for UAVs. He argued that the differing responsibilities of the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Economic Affairs mean their needs cannot be conflated, especially concerning national defense.

"Political infighting is inevitable, but national interests, people's lives, and property safety cannot be used as bargaining chips for political struggles," Tsai stated. He urged the Legislative Yuan to support the nation and allow the Minister of National Defense and military personnel to focus on their duties rather than being tied up in legislative debates.

We should not trap them in the Legislative Yuan, wasting time.

— Tsai Ing-wenPresident Tsai Ing-wen criticized the legislative process for delaying crucial defense matters.

Tsai pointed to recent conflicts like the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict as evidence of UAVs' significance as asymmetric warfare assets. He noted that the government had previously proposed a special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion, but only NT$780 billion was approved, with the entire UAV budget being cut. The Executive Yuan has since proposed a new UAV bill with a budget of NT$210 billion, but it has not yet gained opposition support.

The Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Economic Affairs are two different units with different responsibilities and needs that cannot be conflated.

— Tsai Ing-wenPresident Tsai Ing-wen explained the distinction between military and economic roles in UAV development.

He emphasized that Taiwan's UAV technology is on par with international standards and that the Ministry of National Defense has established a comprehensive UAV combat team. "Everything is ready, we just need the east wind," Tsai said, urging the legislature to pass the special defense budget to ensure stable funding for national defense construction and preparedness.

Everything is ready, we just need the east wind.

— Tsai Ing-wenPresident Tsai Ing-wen expressed readiness for advancing Taiwan's UAV capabilities, pending legislative approval.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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