Taipei: The Office of the President on Friday issued a presidential order promulgating an act aimed at strengthening Taiwan's defense autonomy and developing its unmanned vehicle industry, after Premier Cho Jung-tai countersigned the legislation. The Act on Strengthening Defense Autonomy and Developing the Unmanned Vehicles Industry will take effect six months after promulgation, while its budget allocation provision will take effect immediately.
According to Focus Taiwan, at a press conference earlier Friday, Executive Yuan Secretary-General Xavier Chang said Cho had countersigned the act after it was passed by the Legislature on Aug. 27, citing the urgency of strengthening national defense and upgrading Taiwan's unmanned vehicle industry. Chang emphasized the current security situation and international industrial competition as factors that necessitate immediate action.
Under the act, the central government is to allocate NT$240 billion (US$7.56 billion) over six years through annual budgets, in principle NT$40 billion per year, for the development and procurement of unmanned vehicles. The Ministry of National Defense is directed to prioritize the procurement of domestically produced "low-cost, high-performance" unmanned systems, with the possibility of additional funding subject to legislative approval.
Chang stated that the Cabinet would exercise its constitutional authority over the budget by allocating funds based on actual national defense and industrial needs, while remaining subject to legislative oversight. The Cabinet had previously proposed a six-year special budget of NT$210 billion for the development and procurement of unmanned systems, but the proposal failed to pass the Legislature.