Taiwan’s opposition parties, the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), have blocked a special defense budget bill in the Legislative Yuan. After Washington reportedly expressed concern, the KMT proposed a revised military procurement plan described as the “NT$380 billion + N” version, but critics say the proposal contains numerous loopholes.
Hsieh Chin-ho, chairman of Wealth Magazine publisher Caixin Media, addressed the issue in a March 5 Facebook post, reflecting on what he described as the reasons behind the United States’ strength and arguing that Taiwan is displaying “an extremely rare phenomenon in the world.”
Stabbing itself every day — a phenomenon rarely seen worldwide
In his post, Hsieh wrote that from Venezuela to Iran, the United States has demonstrated what he called the most advanced model of future warfare: rather than deploying ground forces or fighting conventional battles, it relies on high technology and precision strikes. Such “decapitation” tactics, he said, have unnerved authoritarian rulers around the world.
Hsieh added that the military actions carried out by Donald Trump over the past year have also left commentators who previously predicted U.S. decline and praised China temporarily silent. During the recent U.S. mission in Iran, at least six American personnel were killed. When the remains of those soldiers were returned to the United States, they received the nation’s highest honors. President Trump, Hsieh said, has consistently praised the performance of U.S. servicemen during public appearances.
He further argued that the strength of the United States lies not only in its institutions but also in the patriotism of its people. Immigrants from around the world who settle in the country, he wrote, often develop a strong attachment to it. Although Americans may be divided between left and right, or between Republicans and Democrats, they still share a deep sense of loyalty to their country.
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Hsieh contrasted this with Japan’s recent parliamentary election, in which the Liberal Democratic Party secured enough seats to surpass the constitutional revision threshold for the first time in history. He attributed the result to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s ability to inspire patriotic sentiment among the Japanese public, noting that many young people in Japan hope the country will grow stronger again. This shared patriotism, he said, has strengthened Takaichi’s political position.
Turning to Taiwan, Hsieh said that a significant proportion of people who were born and raised on the island and built their lives there do not love Taiwan but instead support another country. According to him, these individuals follow a state that seeks to destroy Taiwan and continually create difficulties for it. He described this as “a phenomenon that is extremely rare in the world.” Yet, he added, Taiwan has shown resilience and continues to deliver strong economic performance.
“Political parties can argue and oppose one another,” Hsieh wrote. “But no matter how intense the disputes are, there must be a greatest common denominator — Taiwan itself. If someone was born and raised here but pledges loyalty to another country, stabbing Taiwan every day with a knife, they would be better off leaving to pursue their own ideal homeland rather than harming Taiwan.”
lawmakers blocking the budget described as ‘reverse bodhisattvas’
On Feb. 18, Hsieh also wrote on Facebook that without KMT legislator Cheng Li-wen serving as chair, President Lai Ching-te’s approval ratings might not have rebounded so quickly. He added that Takaichi’s recent electoral victory and the Liberal Democratic Party’s best results since World War II were indirectly aided by the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Hsieh said that diplomatic pressure from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi during the Munich Security Conference and other incidents had become “drivers of Japan’s resurgence,” likening them to promotional forces behind a major concert performance.
He also noted that Taiwan’s defense budget proposal had been blocked ten times. Last year, he led a delegation to inspect the drone industry, and many people asked what could be done if opposition parties continued to block the defense budget. Hsieh said he responded by recalling that Sun Yat-sen’s revolutionary movement failed ten times before succeeding, adding that he believed the United States would eventually take action.
“Now it appears that developments are moving in that direction,” Hsieh wrote. “Those lawmakers blocking the budget may also be reverse bodhisattvas.”
Hsieh added that in addition to continued growth in artificial intelligence industries, Taiwan’s defense and military manufacturing sectors could become an important force driving the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.
On March 6, Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan sent the Executive Yuan’s NT$1.25 trillion special military procurement bill, the KMT’s “NT$380 billion + N” version, and a separate NT$400 billion proposal from the TPP caucus to committee for review.
Regarding the KMT proposal, former KMT legislator Jason Hsu said that based on his communications with officials in Washington, the United States had not accepted the “NT$380 billion + N” proposal, and there was no tacit understanding as some had suggested. He urged the KMT to reconsider.
Meanwhile, Premier Cho Jung-tai commented during a legislative inquiry session that purchasing hardware without properly designing the accompanying systems and software would be ineffective.
“This is a matter of common sense,” Cho said. “When you install a computer at home, the hardware and software must work together. Why should a national defense system be divided in this way? I truly cannot understand it and cannot accept it.”