MILITARY MISSTEPS:The group said a record-low defense budget could threaten the nation’s security, while a recruitment estimate might have been overblown
Taipei Times
Date: Sep 21, 2017
By: Sean Lin / Staff reporter
The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) National Policy Foundation think tank yesterday raised questions over revised budget proposals for the current fiscal year, saying that the government might be reinstating “dollar diplomacy” through a drastically inflated “black budget,” while the national defense budget has slumped to a record low of NT$327.8 billion (US$10.88 billion).
At NT$1.72 billion, the black budget for diplomacy has nearly quadrupled from last year’s NT$464 million, foundation Department of National Security convener Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) told a news conference in Taipei.
The budget would make up 6.47 percent of the nation’s overall spending over the next 12 months, compared with 1.89 percent over the past 12 months, Lin said, adding that it has received a larger allocation than the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ black budget.
He questioned the intent behind the increase, saying that due to the nation’s diplomatic plight, it could involve a “secretive dollar diplomacy” agenda similar to those of past administrations, which drew significant public criticism.
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