KMT Legislators Clash Internally Over NT$800B Defense Budget Cap — Defections Signal Possible Flexibility Before Trump-Xi Summit

Kuomintang (KMT) lawmakers erupted in internal dispute on April 28, 2026 over the party's NT$800 billion defense budget cap position — with some legislators openly challenging the party line and suggesting greater flexibility might be needed before the May 14-15 Trump-Xi Beijing summit. Multiple KMT legislators reportedly argued that the NT$800B cap is politically untenable given the public pressure from two consecutive senior US officials (INDOPACOM Admiral Paparo on April 22-23 and AIT Director Raymond Greene on April 27) directly intervening in Taiwan's legislative affairs. The opposition KMT's internal split reflects the tension between the party's traditional pro-China stance and its domestic political liability of being seen as blocking Taiwan's defense at a critical juncture. The ruling DPP-led government's original NT$1.25 trillion request (2026-2033) covers HIMARS deliveries, M109A7 Paladin howitzers, missile stockpile replenishment, Patriot interceptors, anti-tank munitions, and an integrated 'Taiwan Shield' air defense network. The Taiwan People's Party (TPP) occupies the legislative swing position. With 16 days remaining before the Trump-Xi summit (May 14-15), passage of the defense budget before the summit is increasingly seen by US officials and some analysts as a signal of US-Taiwan strategic alignment — and Beijing is expected to press Trump for at minimum a commitment to pause or slow new arms sales. The internal KMT clash comes a day after AIT Director Greene's unprecedented public intervention and one day before former US intelligence chiefs would escalate calls for 'haste' in the legislative process.