Taiwan's Cabinet has signed off on the opposition-backed drone and unmanned vehicle bill, easing a standoff with the legislature even as it keeps fighting over who controls the money.

• The Cabinet approved the bill, brushing off claims of a double standard after it refused to sign eight other laws passed by the opposition-led legislature.
• Its defense: 202 of 210 bills under Premier Cho Jung-tai have been signed, and the eight refusals mark a constitutional red line, mostly over lawmakers attaching spending to bills.
• Funding for the program now comes from the regular annual budget instead of a special multi-year budget, which the Cabinet says makes long-term defense buying less stable.
• Officials compared it to signing a star athlete to a one-year deal every season instead of a long contract, and said the legislature must now pass budgets on time.
• Worries about leaks from the new strategic committee are being handled by Cabinet-written rules, with the economics ministry running it and secrets kept classified.

Outlook: The fight shifts to the annual budget, where the drone program's money will be argued over every year.