TAIPEI — Taiwan is facing fresh questions about its most ambitious defense program yet, the government's plan to build seven more submarines, as opposition parties push back and some experts call for complementary reforms.
Politicians from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and its junior partner, the Taiwan People's Party, have repeatedly criticized the Ministry of National Defense's proposal to build the ships over 13 years until 2038, in addition to the first indigenous submarine unveiled late last year. . Prime Minister Cho Jung-tai signed off on the estimated 284 billion New Taiwan dollars ($8.8 billion) program. But the KMT and TPP, which have a legislative majority, could cancel the underwater budget within weeks.