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.
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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.