Taiwan President Urges Shared Defence Responsibility, Seeks Drone Funding

Key facts

• President Lai Ching-te stated Taiwan must heed international calls to share responsibility for collective defense.
• He appealed for parliamentary support for new drone spending.
• A new T$210 billion package for surveillance, coastal attack, and small surface drones has been proposed.
• Lai cited increasing Chinese pressure and the importance of drones in recent conflicts.
• The U.S. strongly supports Taiwan's defense spending, especially on drones.

President Lai Ching-te stated on Friday that Taiwan must heed international calls to share the responsibility for "collective defence" and appealed for parliamentary support for new drone spending. Speaking during a visit to the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Lai emphasized the increasing intensity of Chinese pressure on Taiwan and the need to demonstrate a determination to safeguard the nation.

Lai highlighted that drones have become "the most important assets on the battlefield," referencing conflicts such as the Ukraine-Russia war and the fighting between the United States and Iran. He expressed hope that parliament would support the proposed T$210 billion package for surveillance, coastal attack, and small surface drones through to 2031, calling on both ruling and opposition parties to jointly support national security and industrial development.

In May, the opposition-dominated parliament passed only two-thirds of a previous T$1.25 trillion extra defense spending request, earmarking funds solely for U.S. arms. The United States, Taiwan's primary arms supplier and international supporter, has strongly backed the government's defense spending plans, particularly concerning drones. Earlier this month, the top U.S. diplomat in Taiwan suggested the island needs a "hornet's nest" of drones to deter conflict.