Taiwan lawmakers approve $7.6 bn drone budget as China threat grows

Lawmakers in Taiwan approved a $7.6 billion budget for locally made drones on Thursday as the island democracy seeks to strengthen its defences against a potential Chinese attack.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it.

A spending proposal backed by the opposition parties cleared the parliament after a plan submitted by the government was rejected.

President Lai Ching-te's government wanted to allocate up to NT$210 billion ($6.6 billion) in a special budget for Taiwan-made unmanned vehicles, including coastal surveillance, attack and surface drones.

The spending would have been spread out over more than five years and overseen by the defence ministry.

The Kuomintang and the Taiwan People's Party, which hold the most seats in parliament, instead backed a proposal for NT$240 billion in spending over six years that would be included in the annual budget.