Taiwan's parliament passed a law committing the government to six years of drone and defense industry spending, a win for the opposition parties that pushed it through and a setback for the ruling DPP.

• The law requires the central government to budget NT$240 billion over six years, NT$40 billion a year, for drones and defense self-reliance.
• The KMT says it backs building up Taiwan's defense industry but refuses to hand the cabinet a blank check without spending limits and oversight.
• The DPP calls the final version an expansion of parliament's power that tramples on the cabinet's right to write budgets.
• A new strategy committee for the drone industry will have most of its members nominated by political parties — the DPP warns that could open the door to Beijing influence and leaks.
• The TPP got its oversight and committee provisions in but objected to setting a spending number before any actual plan exists.

Outlook: Expect a fight over how the money is actually allocated, with the DPP likely to challenge the law's constitutionality.