Opposition Lawmakers Slam Cabinet's 'Special Budget' For Tariff Relief

TaiwanPlus News

Opposition lawmakers are demanding more clarity on the Cabinet's updated proposal for a US$12.6B special budget to safeguard the economy and national security. The package is almost five times the sum the Cabinet originally proposed for a relief plan dedicated to helping local industries weather the storm of U.S. tariffs.

Transcript

00:00Under the shadow of paused U.S. tariffs that stand to upend the global economy,

00:05lawmakers grill Premier Zhu Rongtai on Taiwan's progress in safeguarding the country's interests,

00:12despite limited choice for friends in a world mired by a U.S.-China trade war.

00:30Zhu is defending his cabinet's updated proposal for a special fund of 12.6 billion U.S. dollars,

00:42which he says is needed to protect the economy and national security.

00:48It's a sum almost five times more than the originally proposed aid package for local industries

00:54to help weather potential blows from U.S. tariffs.

00:57In the new package, $2.9 billion would go towards tariff relief, $4.6 billion for security-related

01:06spending, which the cabinet says would include strengthening the Coast Guard and developing

01:12drone infrastructure. Over $5 billion is earmarked for societal support, more than half of which

01:19set to go to state-run power utility Taipower to help address its multi-billion-dollar losses

01:25in recent years. Opposition lawmakers are slamming the plan, saying it strays away from the original

01:32purpose of the special budget, mitigating the risk of U.S. tariffs.

01:37With just days until a cross-party delegation is set to land in Washington for talks with U.S.

01:57counterparts, stakes are high for Taiwan's officials to get on the same page despite different opinions

02:04on how best to safeguard the country's interests.

02:08Ryan Wu and Joyce Sen for Taiwan Plus.

Category

Transcript

Recommended