00:00This is the Hualian, Taiwan's fourth 1,000-ton patrol vessel.
00:07Just delivered to the Coast Guard, it's part of the country's efforts to boost domestic shipbuilding.
00:15Now, Taiwan is looking to pour even more resources into this area,
00:20with a proposed $272 million for new vessels designed to withstand strong winds, heavy seas, and collisions.
00:29It's just part of a $17.2 billion special budget put forward by the Lai administration, focused on boosting resilience.
00:40The plan is getting support from some in Taiwan's legislature.
00:44Chen Guantin, a lawmaker on Taiwan's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee,
00:48told Taiwan Plus that Taiwan should build more small and medium-sized high-speed vessels
00:53and step up coordination with the Navy and local fisheries to respond more effectively.
00:59But beyond maritime security, the special budget would also strengthen cybersecurity and battlefield preparedness,
01:07while investing in domestic drone production.
01:12It comes amid increasing Chinese aggression against Taiwan,
01:16in what the Cabinet calls Beijing's hybrid warfare,
01:20which combines military intimidation with grey zone warfare,
01:23strategies that fall short of open conflict, but are intended to wear down Taiwan's military.
01:29In recent years, China has continued to do the white-sized areas of the sea.
01:36And with the rules of the military,
01:39we can't be able to see this threat to this threat.
01:46So we have to recognize it.
01:48We have to defend it.
01:49We have to defend it.
01:50Analysts say this approach is intensifying.
02:13In addition to traditional military hardware,
02:16Taiwan is putting more emphasis on what it calls a whole-of-society resilience approach,
02:22which combines official responses to emergencies or disasters with a strong civil defense.
02:28The special budget will now go to the legislature,
02:31where it looks likely to get a majority vote.
02:34Dolphin Chen and Ellen Lu for Taiwan Plus.
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