Taipei: Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung announced on Thursday a proposed NT$10 billion (US$326.38 million) increase in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ (MOFA) budget for the upcoming year. This increase is deemed essential to address the escalating threat posed by China’s increasing aggression.

According to Focus Taiwan, the MOFA has submitted a budget proposal of NT$41.503 billion for the fiscal year 2026 to the Legislature. This represents a substantial increase from the current year’s budget of NT$30.587 billion. In a report presented to lawmakers, Lin emphasized the necessity of this NT$10.916 billion hike to effectively counter China’s growing influence against Taiwan on the global platform.

Over the last 25 years, China has bolstered its foreign ministry budget 11-fold, utilizing these resources to entice Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and intensify its efforts to isolate Taiwan internationally, Lin stated during his report to the Legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. He hi
ghlighted the challenges Taiwan faces in competing against China’s substantial resources without a significant boost in diplomatic funding.

Lin’s comments were in response to inquiries from lawmakers of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) regarding the rationale behind the substantial budget increase for his ministry. An official, speaking anonymously to CNA, noted that MOFA’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 accounts for 1.37 percent of the government’s projected total expenditure, compared to 1.05 percent in 2025. However, this budget remains minimal compared to China’s current foreign affairs budget of 64.5 billion yuan (US$9.05 billion), which has seen a significant rise from 5.7 billion yuan over the past 25 years.

During the legislative session, Lin also mentioned his visits to nine countries without formal diplomatic ties to Taiwan in recent months. Despite China’s objections, these democratic countries, including Japan and the Philippines, were receptive to his visits
. He particularly praised the Czech Republic for resisting Chinese pressure last month when he was invited to speak at the Warsaw Security Forum, despite China’s attempts to have the invitation withdrawn due to the concurrent visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Lin pointed out that while Taiwan’s interactions with non-allies might be restricted, there remains ample opportunity for collaboration through parliamentary, think tank, technological, and cultural exchanges.