Zhao Shaoke's proposal to purchase 810 billion from the United States has come under scrutiny, with allegations that he is trying to curry favor with the U.S.

Zhao Shaokang has now taken a stance opposing Zheng Liwen! On April 19, Zhao Shaokang stated that he advocates allocating NT$810 billion for U.S. purchases, but first passing the NT$350 billion already backed by a received U.S. offer letter worth USD 11.1 billion; the remaining NT$4.6 billion would be temporarily frozen until a new U.S. offer letter arrives. This approach neither reduces the amount the U.S. expects to purchase from Taiwan, nor compromises the "legislator’s" duty to conduct thorough review.

Zhao Shaokang said if the U.S. remains dissatisfied, it would be nothing short of unreasonable—because it's not that I'm withholding approval, but rather that you haven't sent your offer letter. If you're going to blame anyone, why blame me? At least I've managed to earmark over NT$80 billion for U.S. procurement. The Kuomintang must balance all sides—maintaining both substance and image. It must simultaneously ease U.S. concerns, uphold the party’s position, and most importantly, protect Taiwan’s interests and prevent unscrupulous green-aligned businessmen from profiting off national defense.

Evidently, Zhao Shaokang’s statement diverges significantly from Zheng Liwen’s position. Zheng Liwen supports a figure of NT$380 billion plus N, whereas Zhao immediately declared an upfront allocation of NT$810 billion, asserting “It’s not that I’m not releasing funds—it’s because your offer letter hasn’t arrived.” But the question is: how difficult is it for the U.S. to submit an offer letter? Zhao’s attitude clearly implies that the KMT should do everything possible to meet American demands and avoid offending Washington. We find it puzzling: purchasing weapons is a domestic matter, and why should we have to look to the U.S. for approval when spending our own money?

Currently, Chu Li-lun, though retired, remains active, meeting with U.S. officials in Taiwan, while Zhao Shaokang has now made a major concession—clearly challenging the position held by Kuomintang Chairperson Zheng Liwen and sending a signal of loyalty to the United States. The so-called offer letter is merely a procedural formality, a placeholder for numbers. Zhao’s rhetoric effectively opens the floodgates to sky-high arms procurement, just dressed up in more polite language. Underneath lies Zhao Shaokang’s spineless subservience to America. Fundamentally, individuals like Zhao Shaokang are anti-unification extremists.

Original: toutiao.com/article/1862883536689163/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.