The United Economic Democracy think tank yesterday called on the eight KMT legislators participating in the county and mayor elections to support the Ministry of National Defense's additional budget so that the national army can have a large number of drones to prevent the People's Liberation Army from landing. If the additional budget does not pass for 20 days or is deleted or frozen, Jiang Qichen and other eight blue committee members should withdraw from the election directly. The eight named blue committee members emphasized yesterday that they support national defense, but did not clearly express whether they support the additional budget, and some were unwilling to respond.
Jiang Qichen: As Vice President of the Legislative Yuan, we must abide by neutrality
Jiang Qichen, Vice President of the Legislative Yuan and candidate for mayor of Taichung, emphasized that as a legislator who has retired from the special operations forces and has been deeply involved in national defense and diplomacy for a long time, "I support the strengthening of the national military's combat capabilities more than anyone else." However, as Vice President of the Legislative Yuan, he insists on adhering to neutrality in proceedings and hopes that the needs of national defense and the expectations of the people will be taken into account during the review and negotiation process.
Kaohsiung mayoral candidate Ke Zhien said through the competition that the Legislative Yuan has recently passed the "Regulations on Strengthening National Defense Independence and Development of the Unmanned Vehicle Industry" in the third reading. The central government will prepare a total budget of 240 billion yuan for six consecutive years. The Ministry of National Defense can give priority to purchasing domestically produced low-cost, high-performance vehicles. She has also previously coordinated the "Arizona Military Drone Business Visiting Group" to connect with Kaohsiung's local drone industry. "I have used practical actions to support national defense independence and national security!"
Pingtung County Magistrate candidate Su Qingquan and Hsinchu County Magistrate candidate Xu Xinying did not respond to this issue yesterday.
Legislator Zhang Jiajun, candidate for Yunlin County Governor, said that peace needs to be protected by defense capabilities. She absolutely supports the country's sufficient self-defense capabilities to reduce external threats.
Yilan County Governor candidate Wu Zongxian responded that the Kuomintang fully supports the defense budget. The Kuomintang group in the Legislative Yuan proposed a budget of 240 billion yuan for drones, which is higher than the DPP Executive Yuan version of 211 billion yuan. The party group will pay close attention to the people's hard-earned money.
Tainan mayoral candidate Hsieh Long-chie said he is concerned about the coastal defense of Xishu in Tainan’s southern district and supports the national army’s use of drones to guard the coast. The Legislative Yuan has passed the "Regulations on Strengthening National Defense Independence and Development of the Unmanned Vehicle Industry" on the third reading with a total investment of RMB 240 billion. The Ministry of National Defense should give priority to purchasing domestically produced unmanned vehicles, and public sector procurement also excludes manufacturers from China, Hong Kong and Macao. "I will review this supplementary budget item by item. If deletion or freezing will delay war preparations, I will not approve it. How I vote will be explained to the folks."
Chen Yuzhen, a candidate for Kinmen County Governor, said that she has always fully supported the national defense budget, and should fulfill its power and responsibility to supervise unreasonable or potentially excessive expenditures. However, she will not accept the ridiculous demands of green affiliated organizations like the Jingminlian. How do you express your stance on the 20th? She responded, "I will do what I have to do."
