The Executive Yuan of the Republic of China has officially signed the drone legislation that has passed the third reading in the Legislative Yuan, announced by President Lai Ching-te. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has expressed its commitment to collaborating with the Ministry of National Defense to actively promote the development of unmanned aerial vehicle industry.
In a recent session, the Legislative Yuan did not pass the draft of the “Special Act on National Defense Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Procurements” proposed by the Executive Yuan but instead approved the strengthened “Defense Autonomy and Unmanned Vehicle Industry Development Act” in its third reading. The act specifies the Ministry of Economic Affairs as the competent authority, while matters regarding defense-related procurement fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Defense.
Secretary-General of the Executive Yuan, Chang Dun-han, stated today that the version passed in the third reading by the Legislative Yuan was not the original proposal from the Executive Yuan. However, emphasizing that “national defense security cannot wait, and industrial upgrades cannot wait either,” Prime Minister Cho Rong-tai has countersigned the legislation.
Chang Dun-han pointed out that the Executive Yuan had submitted a supplemental budget for the year 2026 last week, with 55.9 billion New Taiwan Dollars allocated for unmanned aerial vehicles. The related projects are crucial for Taiwan’s asymmetric warfare capabilities, and the ruling administration sincerely urges all political parties in the legislature to expedite the review of this year’s additional budget and timely review the central government’s budget for next year, to ensure Taiwan’s strength and the people’s confidence.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs stated today that the drone legislation has been countersigned by the Executive Yuan and publicly announced by the President. As the competent authority, the Ministry of Economic Affairs will fully commit to promoting related work in accordance with the law, deepening Taiwan’s critical role in the democratic supply chain in collaboration with the industry.
Regarding defense expertise and military procurement matters, the Ministry of Economic Affairs mentioned that they will be overseen by the Ministry of National Defense according to the legislation, allowing professional units to rigorously safeguard national secrets. The ministry looks forward to partnering with the Ministry of National Defense to actively drive the development of the unmanned aerial vehicle industry and hopes for broad support in future budget allocations.
On August 27th, the Legislative Yuan passed the “Defense Autonomy and Unmanned Vehicle Industry Development Act” in the third reading, which stipulates that the central government should annually allocate a total of 240 billion New Taiwan Dollars over six years. The principle is to allocate 40 billion New Taiwan Dollars each year, with the Ministry of Economic Affairs designated as the competent authority. In the case of defense-related procurement, the Ministry of National Defense will oversee the matters.