After a delay of 351 days, the general budget passed its third reading in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan. Ho Hsin-chun, the Democratic Progressive Party's candidate for Taichung mayor, criticised the opposition parties for setting a bad precedent and called for the swift passage of a drone special act — part of an electoral tussle centred on Taichung's drone industry.

• The Legislative Yuan only passed the general budget on its third reading on 14 August, including NT$62.4 billion in drone funding, and Ho Hsin-chun criticised the opposition parties for setting an unprecedented bad precedent through their delays.
• Ho Hsin-chun singled out Chiang Chi-chen, the Kuomintang's candidate for Taichung mayor, saying that he voices support for drones but has taken no concrete action to sway his own party caucus.
• Chiang Chi-chen's office hit back, stressing that he has always supported developing the unmanned vehicle industry in Taichung, and countered that the DPP government should fairly allocate drone funding to central Taiwan.
• At present, the special act on drones and unmanned vehicles remains stuck in the Legislative Yuan, and businesses are anxious for it to be reviewed and passed as soon as possible.
• The exchange of barbs between the two is effectively an early start to the Taichung mayoral race.

Outlook: Whether the drone special act can be fast-tracked through cross-party negotiations will become the next focal point of concern for Taichung's election and the industry.