Taiwan's parliament approved a six-year, NT$240 billion push to build a homegrown drone force, a win for the island's defense buildup but one the ruling DPP says is undercut by shaky funding rules.

• The law commits about NT$40 billion a year for six years to military and commercial drones, with the economics ministry in charge and the defense ministry handling weapons buys.
• The DPP wants the buildup fast, arguing China's rapid military expansion leaves no time to waste.
• The catch: the money runs through the normal yearly budget, so lawmakers can fight over it every single year.
• Drone makers need to build factories and production lines up front, and they will not commit that cash without a stable long-term promise.
• A new strategy committee staffed by legislature-nominated experts could clash with the defense ministry over what the military actually needs, and could stall the way past appointment fights have.

Outlook: Premier Cho Jung-tai has signaled the cabinet will try to make the law work, but the first annual budget round will show whether the drone program survives political horse-trading.