Taiwan's parliament has passed a big drone and defense-industry law, and the fight now is over whether the cabinet will actually carry it out.

• Lawmakers approved a bill to build up Taiwan's own drone and unmanned-vehicle industry, raising the budget to NT$240 billion from the NT$210 billion the cabinet wanted.
• The cabinet called the final version regrettable, saying it falls short of urgent defense needs, but promised to fund the purchases quickly.
• The KMT says all three military drone programs the cabinet asked for — coastal surveillance drones, coastal attack drones, and small suicide sea drones — made it into the law untouched.
• The KMT also rejects the argument that a "special budget" would move faster, calling that a way to shift blame to parliament.

Outlook: Expect continued friction between the presidential office and parliament over how fast the money is released, with the drones themselves still years from delivery.