Ankara: Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te criticized opposition parties on Tuesday for making cuts to the defense budget. Speaking at the Lions Clubs International in Taipei as part of the 10 Talks on the Country, Lai emphasized Taiwan's commitment to defense reform, modernization of the army, and fostering international cooperation. He also highlighted the importance of increasing the defense budget annually, as per his Facebook post.

According to Anadolu Agency, Lai pointed out that despite setting the defense budget at 3% of GDP, the Legislative Yuan, which is dominated by opposition parties, had previously frozen these funds. This legislative move, he argued, not only hampered the national army's operations but also led to misunderstandings about Taiwan's defense commitment internationally.

Further, the Legislative Yuan is controlled by opposition parties, and there are ongoing controversial recall elections involving 24 lawmakers from the Kuomintang party (KMT) initiated by the Lai administration. Lai assured that Taiwan remains determined to secure the growth of its defense budget.

Lai's remarks, as reported by the Focus Taiwan state news agency, included Taiwan's efforts not only in arms procurement but also in manufacturing and co-developing military equipment with the United States. Opposition lawmakers had previously implemented significant cuts in the national budget in January, including a substantial reduction in funding for a defense submarine project.

According to the Taipei-based Central News Agency, the opposition had cut NT$8.4 billion ($286 million) from the proposed NT$647 billion defense budget and froze around NT$90 billion, although some of the funds were later reinstated.