Taipei – Taiwan’s parliament approved a $25 billion defence spending bill on Friday that opposition lawmakers say will be used for U.S. weapons, following months of political wrangling.
The result was announced by the parliamentary speaker after a final vote on the bill, which falls well short of the government’s proposed budget of nearly $40 billion.
Taiwanese lawmakers have been at loggerheads over how much to spend on improving defence capabilities against a potential attack by China, which claims the island is part of its territory and has threatened to seize it forcibly.