US Lawmaker Warns Delays in Taiwan’s Defense Funding Amid Growing Chinese Pressure
Representative John Moolenaar said postponed defense spending, especially a drone budget, worries allies as China steps up pressure on Taiwan.
US Representative John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the US and the Chinese Communist Party, issued a statement following a meeting with a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) delegation in Washington. He warned that delays in Taiwan’s increased defence spending, including a proposed drone budget, raise concerns among partners as China’s harassment—cyberattacks, intrusions, and exercises—has intensified.
KMT legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin emphasized Taiwan’s commitment to its democratic way of life and the necessity of a special defence budget, citing the drone development act and measures to improve energy security such as a nuclear power referendum. The party called for balanced dialogue and deterrence with Beijing and pledged continued cooperation with the US Congress on defence, high-tech supply-chain resilience, and regional peace. Additional context noted Taiwan’s recent naturalisation of 400 high-level foreign professionals and China’s warning over potential US arms sales, underscoring the island’s strategic challenges.
Why it matters
The story shows rising US-Taiwan defence ties and the risks of delayed funding as Chinese pressure mounts.
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