President Lai pushes $6.6 billion military drone bill ahead of crucial vote

Taiwan must demonstrate its resolve to defend itself and pass a six-year, T$210 billion ($6.6 billion) special budget to buy military drones, President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday ahead of a crucial vote in the opposition-controlled parliament.

Taiwan’s government says the plans to buy some 210,000 new military drones cannot wait, given the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have shown the importance of uncrewed weapons in modern warfare.

But the opposition, which controls parliament, has put forward its own proposals to cap spending each year at T$40 billion, drawn from the annual budget and overseen by the economy, not defence, ministry.

The government says with the threat from China, which views the democratically governed island as its own territory, the drones are urgently needed to turn any conflict zone into a “hellscape” for the Chinese military.

Lai said that, in light of the evolution of modern warfare, drones have become a key component in the military’s efforts to build its “asymmetric” combat capability.

“This is not only a matter of national defence buildup, but also an important step for Taiwan to demonstrate its determination for self-defence,” he told a weekly meeting of his Democratic Progressive Party, ahead of an expected parliament vote on the competing ?plans on Thursday.

Lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties debated their various proposals in a meeting on Wednesday, but failed to reach agreement.

Lai Shyh-bao, a senior lawmaker from the largest opposition party, the Kuomintang, told the meeting that their proposal was the more practical one.

“The technology is advancing rapidly, and if you buy a huge quantity all at once, it will quickly become out of date,” he said.

Defence Minister Wellington Koo has said the government plan would still involve annual ?procurement and regular upgrades, rather than a one-off bulk purchase.

He also said the annual spending cap of T$40 billion would prevent Taiwan from effectively building up drone combat capabilities, as the ministry already planned to spend T$42.1 billion on drones in 2027 alone.

Parliament earlier this month passed separate drone-related spending plans aimed at developing the industry.

The plans focus in particular on building a “non-red” supply chain independent of China, which dominates the global drone market and is home to some of the world’s leading drone manufacturers.

At a regular press conference in Beijing earlier on Wednesday, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office repeated criticism of Lai’s “seeking independence by force”.

“The overwhelming trend towards reunification cannot be stopped,” spokesperson Zhang Han said.

Lai rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, and says only Taiwan’s people can decide their future.

Heavy rain is expected to continue across much of Taiwan through tomorrow morning, with torrential rainfall likely in southern and southeastern areas due to strong southwesterly winds and multiple weather systems in the area, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today.

The CWA issued a warning today for torrential or extremely torrential rain in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung County and Taitung County, and for extremely heavy to torrential rain in Chiayi County, Hualien County and on the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島).

Heavy to extremely heavy rain is also expected through tomorrow in Changhua County, Yunlin County, Chiayi City, Yilan County, Green Island (綠島), Penghu

Typhoon Saudel has shown signs of weakening but is still expected to affect Taiwan when it comes closest to the nation on Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The radius of Saudel shrank to about 220km as of 8am today from 250km a day earlier, and its maximum sustained winds were down to 155kph from 184kph previously, the weather agency said. As of 8am, Typhoon Saudel was 980km east of Taipei, moving west-northwest at 18kph, it said.

Under the influence of a Pacific high pressure system, the storm is moving northward, meaning it is less likely to make landfall in Taiwan,

CYCLONIC SEASON: Heavy rains and strong winds are lashing southern and central Taiwan as a clutch of tropical storm events form around Taiwan and in the Pacific The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday forecast heavy rain for southern Taiwan today, saying tropical depression TD22 would strengthen southwesterly winds and bring more downpours. The CWA said that in addition to torrential rain in southern Taiwan yesterday, mountainous areas in central and southeastern Taiwan also saw heavy rainfall, while northern and northeastern mountain areas were hit by short-duration downpours amid intense afternoon thunderstorms.

Tainan had experienced continuous rain since Friday night, with Yongkang District (永康) recording more than 132mm of rainfall in three hours and Rende District (仁德) nearly 100mm over the same period, the CWA said. By 3:20pm yesterday, Pingtung County’s

Typhoon Saudel is expected to pass closest to Taiwan on Thursday and Friday as it moves over waters to the north, having already progressed to a strong typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The typhoon is not expected to make landfall in Taiwan, but its path remains unclear, it said. Saudel strengthened into a strong moderate typhoon this afternoon with sustained winds near the center reaching 183.6kph, although it is expected to weaken somewhat by Wednesday, it added.

Storm-force winds are expected to affect northern Taiwan and Lienchiang County, while northern Taiwan and mountainous areas of central Taiwan should