Photo: Taipei TimesIf the overall budget bill is not passed this session, NT$78 billion would be affected, a ministry official said. Separately, a defense official urged the Legislative Yuan to pass the defense budget, citing Taiwan’s strategic importance as a gateway of the first island chain. That might fatally compromise the integrity of the second island chain, they said. The language showed that control over the first island chain is core to the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy, the official said. The US sees Taiwan’s proposed defense budget as an attempt to tailor the force structure to meet specific threats in the national security environment, they said.

Source: Taipei Times January 03, 2026 18:00 UTC