Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo is calling for dialogue between the legislature and the executive branch, after opposition lawmakers passed a bill increasing the monthly allowances for the country's volunteer armed forces. Koo said the pay raise could affect other military spending.
00:00Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Kou is urging the legislature to talk to the executive branch about a new pay raise for volunteer soldiers, which he worries could affect other military spending.
00:30Kou's comments come after the opposition-controlled legislature passed a pay increase for Taiwan's volunteer military forces.
00:41Lawmakers said the raise was in response to high turnover and low recruitment rates in the armed forces.
00:47Earlier this year, the legislature cut billions of dollars from Taiwan's defense budget, but the pay raise will not kick in until the next budgetary year.
