00:0011 billion or 25 billion U.S. dollars. That's the widening gap within Taiwan's main opposition
00:05party. Lawmakers from the Kuomintang are split on how much the country should spend on defense,
00:09with competing proposals exposing deep divisions. The dispute escalated after senior KMT official
00:15threatened to expel Legislative Speaker Han Guo Yu from the party if he backs a larger defense
00:20bill. The KMT has put forward a roughly $11 billion plus end
00:29proposal, allowing further defense spending on U.S. weapons if the government secures letters
00:34of offer and acceptance. But some within the party have pushed for more spending, in the range of
00:38$25 to $30 billion U.S. dollars, and closer to the ruling party's proposal of $40 billion.
00:55KMT officials say the party will vote on a final figure, but they have yet to reach a consensus.
01:00Meanwhile, defense officials say the full special budget is needed to properly defend Taiwan,
01:05which China claims is its own and has threatened to take by force.
01:31Cross-party negotiations will continue next week, but if lawmakers fail to come together on a proposal,
01:36competing bills could go to a vote. And ahead of local elections later this year,
01:40this could be an issue that voters bring to the polls. Ryan Wu and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.
01:45is it the opposition in the U.S.
01:46the U.S.
01:47the U.S.
01:47in the U.S.
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