Taiwan’s legislature reviewed rival funding packages for a NT$210 billion ($6.5 billion) drone-procurement program on Friday, as new defense ministry data showed Chinese military pressure around the island easing to its lowest level since before President Lai Ching-te’s 2024 inauguration.
Taiwan recorded 12 days in June without any Chinese aircraft incursions across the Taiwan Strait median line, according to the Institute for the Study of War’s China-Taiwan Defense Observatory Team (ISW-CDOT). The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not launched a high-altitude balloon into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone since February, ISW-CDOT reported, citing Taiwan’s defense ministry. Monthly PLA sorties, which had doubled to more than 300 after Lai took office, have reverted to their earlier baseline.
ISW-CDOT cautioned against reading the shift as de-escalation. Analysts assessed it as more likely to reflect an adjustment in Beijing’s coercion strategy, potentially freeing PLA sorties for other operations or fleet maintenance, than a seasonal lull.
The pressure drop has not resolved Taipei’s budget dispute. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s Executive Yuan proposed an NT$210 billion special budget, covering the period from August 2026 through 2031. The opposition Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party blocked the bill from committee review on June 26 and advanced rival versions through the regular annual budget process. All versions were presented to the committee at Friday’s plenary session.
The split leaves Taiwan’s drone-defense buildup tied to a legislative standoff that predates, and may outlast, the current lull in PLA activity.
