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MND LIKES TO SEE DEFENSE BUDGET RAISED TO 2.85% OF GDP NEXT YEAR

ROC Central News Agency

2006-05-22 02:12:08

    Taipei, May 21 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense (MND) looks forward to see the nation's defense budget raised to 2.85 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) for 2007 from this year's 2.51 percent, military spokesman Wu Chi-fang said Sunday.

    Wu made the remarks after opposition People First Party Legislator Ku Chung-lien said earlier that day that to the best of his understanding, the MND inclines to set aside an additional NT$10 billion (US$310.56 million) in its 2007 budget proposal to finance a long-stalled arms procurement package.

    According to Ku who once served as Navy commander-in-chief, the MND has referred its proposal to the Executive Yuan for approval.

    Wu refrained from making any comment on Ku's remarks. He instead said the MND most likes to see the 2007 defense budget go up to 2.85 percent of GDP and further increase to 3 percent in 2008.

    As to the exact amount to be increased in next year's defense budget, Wu said, it's up to the Executive Yuan to decide.

    Quoting President Chen Shui-bian's declaration in the newly released National Security Report that he hopes Taiwan's defense budge can be raised to 3 percent of its GDP for 2008, Wu said the 3-percent ratio should be the government's established policy goal.

    Wu also refused to comment on Ku's statements that PFP Chairman James Soong has agreed to a cross-party consensus on the deadlocked arms procurement package and that the content of the consensus will be unveiled in the near future.

    Soong previously voiced strong objection to the package, claiming that its price tag was too exorbitant.

    Wu said all the three weapons in the long-stalled package are badly needed for the military to beef up its defense capabilities in the face of China's intensified military buildup against Taiwan. "The package was worked out after a long-term professional assessment of our defense needs. It is by no means a 'spendthrift' or wasteful package, " Wu argued, adding that the MND keenly hopes politics won't hobble legislative deliberation of the package.

    Wu was referring to an MND-proposed special arms procurement bill that, if passed, would allow the MND to procure three big-ticket weapons -- a squadron of 12 anti-missile P-3C aircraft, six Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile batteries and eight diesel-electric submarines -- from the United States with a special budget.

    The opposition-controlled Legislative Yuan has stonewalled the controversial bill on a combination of reasons, including that financing such a robust package with special budget appropriations would hinder legislative supervision of procurement operations and government budget use as well as that the listed items were outdated or unfit to Taiwan's defense needs.

(By Sofia Wu)

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