The Legislative Yuan of the Republic of China deliberated on the 114 (2025) central government budget on the 20th, approving a substantial cut of 21% of the Mainland Affairs Council’s budget for the year 114, marking the largest reduction in recent years. The Mainland Affairs Council expressed deep regret over this decision.
The Republic of China’s Mainland Affairs Council issued a press release on the 20th, stating that the Legislative Yuan continued to review the central government’s budget for the year 114, approving proposals from opposition party caucuses to cut and freeze the budget of the Mainland Affairs Council for the year 114. The total reduction in funding amounted to over NT$130 million, with an additional freeze of nearly NT$100 million. Excluding the statutory personnel budget, the cut represented a significant 21% of the council’s budget, the highest in recent years and nearly six times higher than the cuts in the previous year’s budget.
The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan pointed out that the budget for the year 114 allocated expenditures totaling NT$1,039.186 million, with a significant reduction of NT$32 million already made during the review by the Internal Affairs Committee and a proportion of the budget frozen. During the Legislative Yuan’s meeting on the 20th, opposition parties voted on proposals related to the council’s operational expenses and the donations to the Straits Exchange Foundation, resulting in a total reduction of over NT$130 million and a freeze of nearly NT$100 million in the council’s budget, representing a high cut of 21%, which will likely impact the progress of related operations.
The Mainland Affairs Council of Taiwan reiterated that, “Facing the increasing coercion and united front tactics from the Chinese Communist Party in recent years, the council’s budget allocation for various operations is essential. With the CCP’s unlimited spending on united front efforts against Taiwan, the Mainland Affairs Council will face even greater challenges with such substantial budget cuts, and will have to make every effort to tighten its belt to safeguard Taiwan’s interests.”