Taipei: Taiwan's main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) on Friday stated that a special defense budget bill sponsored by its caucus holds a "binding political force" on its lawmakers. Meanwhile, the smaller Taiwan People's Party (TPP) is still contemplating its stance on the issue.
According to Focus Taiwan, the KMT's statement comes in response to media figure Jaw Shau-kong's recent criticisms. Jaw alleged that the KMT headquarters was attempting to influence its lawmakers' support for an alternative NT$800 billion (US$25.28 billion) bill proposed by KMT Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin. The proposal aims to fund American equipment in anticipation of future sales packages.
The Liberty Times reported on Wednesday that KMT Chairperson Cheng Li-wun and KMT caucus convener Fu Kun-chi had conducted a call campaign targeting KMT lawmakers. This effort was intended to relay the headquarters' demand to support the caucus's bill earmarking "NT$380 billion + n" instead of Hsu's proposal, which is under discussion in cross-caucus talks.
In its statement, the KMT emphasized that the party headquarters having influence over bills sponsored by its caucus is "the norm." The special defense budget bill, drafted in consultation with the KMT's think tank and passed during a caucus meeting on March 5, is said to possess "dual legitimacy."
The KMT stated that because the bill represents the caucus's collective decision, it has a "binding political force" on its members, though it did not specify the consequences for lawmakers who defy the party headquarters. The statement also dismissed Jaw's criticism that the caucus's bill does not allocate funds for future U.S. arms sales. The "+ n" design and an incidental resolution sponsored by the caucus address future arms sales, allowing new budget proposals to be reviewed based on received letters of acceptance.
Separately, TPP Chairman Huang Kuo-chang announced that the party is undecided on which bill to support. "The TPP has been discussing the arms sales. We're humbly listening to the opinions of all sides and tracking the different numbers that have been proposed," Huang told reporters in Taipei.
With eight legislative seats, the TPP holds a critical minority and will play a determining role in which bill eventually passes on the legislative floor. Huang noted that the TPP respects and will not overly concern itself with the KMT's "internal discussions."
Huang further stated that the best solution to the current deadlock over the defense budget is for the U.S. government to approve a long-anticipated second arms sales package for Taiwan. He urged the U.S. to promptly announce a second round of arms sales instead of delaying it until after a Trump-Xi meeting, stressing that Taiwan should be treated as a democratic ally rather than a bargaining chip in U.S.-China negotiations.