Taiwan's premier is pressing lawmakers to restore a slashed defense package, a sign of deepening political conflict over how fast the island rearms against Chinese military pressure.

• The cabinet asked for a NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget but the legislature approved only about NT$780 billion.
• Cho Jung-tai called on the public to tell lawmakers the military needs money and support to help keep the Indo-Pacific stable.
• Opposition parties, the KMT and TPP, together cut and froze the defense funds and have blocked the cabinet's attempts to revive them.
• To avoid a gap in weapons buying, the cabinet is repackaging the money as a supplementary budget covering equipment upgrades and arms purchases for the next year or two.
• The push came at a military appreciation event marking 30 years since Taiwan's first direct presidential election and the Taiwan Strait missile crisis.

Outlook: The fight over defense spending is set to continue, with the cabinet expected to keep resubmitting funds and the opposition majority likely to keep resisting.