Taiwan's Foreign Missions Face Closure Amidst Budget Freeze

Overseas Operations and Passport Production Threatened by Legislative Yuan's Budget Cuts

Taiwan's overseas missions are facing potential closure by June 30th due to a significant budget freeze imposed by the Legislative Yuan. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) revealed the precarious situation during a meeting of the legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. The freeze, affecting 50% of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ general affairs budget for this year, poses serious challenges to the ministry's operations.

Minister Lin Chia-lung explained that the delay in submitting a proposal to unfreeze the budget stems from the need for the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics to integrate all proposals before presenting them for negotiation. Furthermore, the proposals this year require full plenary sessions instead of the usual legislative committee reviews, further complicating the process.

Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) pointed out the KMT caucus's stipulations: the ministry cannot request the unfreezing of funds "until 30 percent of the [approved] budget has been executed." Minister Lin acknowledged that this threshold had likely not been met, adding to the challenges.

Minister Lin highlighted that without the budget, essential programs, including crucial international collaborations, are at risk. He proposed that the legislature restore the power to approve budget unfreezing proposals to legislative committees to expedite the process.

The consequences of the budget freeze are dire. Many overseas missions face inability to pay essential expenses, potentially leading to shutdowns. Minister Lin emphasized the significant national loss that would result.

The budget cuts also extend to the Bureau of Consular Affairs, threatening passport production. The Minister confirmed that due to the cuts, the bureau might not be able to print more passports by October. DPP Legislator Chen Chun-yu (陳俊宇) stated that the budget cut of NT$120 million (US$3.7 million) would limit the supply to 1.85 million passports.

Deputy Director Chen Shang-yu (陳尚友) from the Bureau of Consular Affairs shared that approximately 690,000 passports were issued from January until last month, while the total number is projected to reach 2.09 million this year, implying a potential shortage of 150,000 to 200,000 passports. Although the safety stock stands at about 400,000 to 500,000 passports, it may run out by the end of October. The bureau is planning to discuss the issue with suppliers and may issue tenders earlier.