Taiwan's opposition lawmakers freeze budget for indigenous submarine program

Legislators belonging to Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) main opposition party recently passed a motion freezing around 50 per cent of the NT$2 billion (US$61 million) funds to be allocated within this year for the development of a new fleet of locally manufactured submarines.

The motion was ratified at the country's Legislative Yuan via a 56-46 vote on Monday, January 20.

The opposition lawmakers have lobbied for the freezing of 50 per cent of the budget for the submarines pending the successful completion of sea acceptance trials by the Republic of China Navy's (RoCN) Indigenous Defense Submarine (IDS) prototype, the future diesel-electric submarine ROCS Hai Kun.

Wang Wen-chun, one of the KMT lawmakers that initiated the motion, said that her party will petition for the freezing or the slashing of the IDS budget due to numerous delays in the program.

The future Hai Kun was launched in September 2023 but has so far completed only 80 per cent of its planned harbour acceptance tests.

The submarine's sea acceptance trials are scheduled to take place between April and October 2025 with delivery to follow in November.