Taiwan’s $40 Billion Military Spending Plan Stalled by Political Impasse

New York Times - WorldCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Chris Buckley and Amy Chang ChienJanuary 21, 2026 at 06:00 AM

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Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te's $40 billion military spending plan is stalled due to political gridlock with opposition lawmakers who control the legislature. The opposition is blocking the proposal, demanding concessions from Lai. This impasse raises concerns about Taiwan's ability to strengthen its defenses amid pressure from the U.S. to increase its own security spending. The conflict involves budgetary and legal disputes, with both sides accusing each other of unlawful actions and paralyzing the government. The opposition accuses Lai of acting like a dictator, while Lai's party accuses the opposition of taking cues from Beijing.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Weng Hsiao-ling 40% Democratic Progressive Party 40% Beijing 40% Nationalist Party 50% China 60% Donald Trump ×260% United States ×270% Lai Ching-te ×890% Taiwan ×7100%

Keywords

military spending 100% political impasse 90% taiwan defense 80% opposition party 70% lai ching-te 70% china 60% united states 60% domestic gridlock 50% constitutional crisis 40% donald trump 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

New York Times - World

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.30)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Taiwan

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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military spending political impasse taiwan defense opposition party lai ching-te china united states domestic gridlock constitutional crisis donald trump

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