TAIPEI -- Taiwan faces fresh questions over its most ambitious defense program -- a government plan to build seven more submarines -- as opposition parties push back and some experts call for complementary reforms.
Politicians from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and its smaller partner, the Taiwan People's Party, have repeatedly criticized the Ministry of National Defense's proposal to build the vessels over the 13 years through 2038, in addition to the first homegrown sub unveiled late last year. Premier Cho Jung-tai signed off on the estimated 284 billion New Taiwan dollars ($8.8 billion) program. But the KMT and TPP, which hold a legislative majority, could vote down the submarine budget within weeks.
