Taiwanese military’s closed-door meeting draws ‘black box’ criticism

Taiwan’s military held a closed-door briefing on Monday to break an opposition blockade of a controversial NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.5 billion) special defence budget that has prompted accusations of “black box” decision-making from rival parties.Taiwanese Defence Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung delivered a classified briefing to the legislature’s foreign affairs and defence committee, seeking to persuade lawmakers to allow the long-stalled bill to be referred for committee review.The package – the largest defence spending proposal in Taiwan’s history – was announced by Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te in November as part of an effort to bolster combat readiness amid escalating military pressure from Beijing. The budget would fund procurement and force-building programmes through 2033.Speaking to reporters ahead of the session, Koo said the defence ministry had “drawn up an integrated plan based on assessments of the security threat and Taiwan’s operational needs”.He said the ministry hoped detailed explanations to lawmakers across party lines would help unlock legislative review and “allow defence modernisation and readiness efforts to move forward”.PLA kicks off military exercises around TaiwanPLA kicks off military exercises around TaiwanThe decision to brief lawmakers behind closed doors, however, immediately triggered criticism from the opposition, which has blocked the bill from entering committee review eight times.