Taiwan's main opposition party, whose lawmaker criticised the procurement pattern.
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te used his National Day speech to reject subordination to Beijing and defend a record NT$1.12 trillion defence budget. Beijing answered with a written statement that restates terms for talks Lai's party does not accept.
Reality
Taiwan has received the first two of 66 F-16 Block 70 jets it ordered from the US in 2019 for $7.76 billion, after a six-week stop in Hawaii. The other 64 are due by the end of 2026, on a schedule that has already slipped.
Perspective Coverage
4 publishersReality
A chip and AI export boom has reached the budget: a universal NT$10,000 payment, a record defence bill, and an opposition asking why last year's unconstitutional idea is now policy.
Reality
A KMT-backed NT$236bn cash handout has cleared first reading over Executive Yuan objections. The AI boom is now a domestic political variable, and it prices differently from a chip cycle.
Reality
An audit says the NT$3.55 billion fixed-site network built to guard airbases misses the PLA's 5.1GHz drones. A separate army purchase died after three failed tests.
Reality