Taiwan passes defence budget after record delay, retains drone funding

Taiwan’s parliament ends deadlock, ensuring vital drone programme funding amid rising cross-strait tensions with Beijing.Published On 15 Aug 202615 Aug 2026Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament has approved the government’s annual budget, preserving funding for a drone programme central to the island’s defence plans against China.Lawmakers passed the $93bn budget late on Friday, after a record 266 days of political deadlock and its legal deadline, as President William Lai Ching-te’s administration, which lost its parliamentary majority in 2024, continues to clash with opposition parties over government spending.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 37.7-magnitude earthquake strikes eastern Indonesialist 2 of 3HRW says US civil rights enforcement reduced under Trump: What to knowlist 3 of 3US President Trump says he will declare Strait of Hormuz US territoryend of listThe approved funding was earmarked for drone development, despite an earlier threat by the main opposition party, the Kuomintang, to slash that funding by 70 percent.The Kuomintang dropped the proposed cut after concluding there was no wasteful overlap between the development and procurement programmes it ha...