Taiwan tensions: Uncertainty plagues Taiwan's drone industry after budget cuts
Experts warn stalled domestic procurement could impede cooperation with US partners
TAICHUNG, Taiwan -- The nascent but growing drone industry in Taiwan has been plunged into uncertainty after the opposition-led legislature axed domestic production programs from the government's flagship defense budget.
Legislators from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and its allies voted to cut the entire drone production component of President Lai Ching-te's long-stalled $40 billion defense spending package last month. Lai's bulkier budget had aimed to counter a rising threat from China's massive military buildup by emphasizing asymmetric warfare, in part with homegrown drones.