00:02President Lai Qingde has met with the heads of the other four branches of government to
00:06resolve their differences. On the agenda is a record 40 billion US dollar special defense
00:10budget proposal, which has been stalled in the opposition-controlled legislature since
00:14last November. With lawmakers set to return to work on Tuesday, President Lai stressed
00:18the need for unity.
00:51Lai's comments come after a growing number of US lawmakers have criticized Taiwan's opposition
00:55parties for stalling the budget proposal. They said Taiwan must take its defense seriously
01:00as China increases its threats and aggressions. So far, the opposition alliance has advanced
01:05a watered-down defense spending bill proposed by the smaller Taiwan People's Party, which
01:09only allocates about one-third of the funds Lai asked for. Now, the main opposition,
01:14Kuomintang, also intends to put forward its own version of a spending bill. KMT lawmakers
01:18say their priority is to make sure Taiwan purchases weapons it actually needs.
01:31The cabinet also stressed the need to pass Lai's budget proposal in a recent report to lawmakers.
01:36The report details the military's efforts to counter China's plans to destabilize Taiwan,
01:40including buying new asymmetric defense systems, both from the US and domestically produced,
01:45and pushing for organizational and training improvements.
01:48But Taiwan's efforts to purchase weapons from Washington could face another source of uncertainty.
01:53US President Donald Trump's recent remarks that he is talking to Chinese leader Xi Jinping about
01:57arms sales to Taiwan have raised alarm in Taipei. As lawmakers get back to work,
02:02all eyes will be on whether they can reach a consensus on defense spending like Lai hopes.
02:05Howard Chang and Larry Siano in Taipei for Taiwan Plus.
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