Taiwan's cabinet will countersign an opposition-written law to boost home-grown defense and drone manufacturing, a win for the drone industry but an awkward loss for the ruling party.

• The legislature passed the Nationalist Party's version of the bill instead of the cabinet's own draft, and the cabinet decided to sign it anyway.
• The reason: Taiwan faces urgent security threats and can't wait for the political fight to end.
• The cabinet says it will still guard two things — its control over the budget and the protection of state secrets.
• The ruling DPP called the outcome regrettable but said it respects the decision and will watch closely to make sure military secrets stay safe.
• Backers say signing shows the world Taiwan is serious about building a drone supply chain outside China's.

Outlook: Attention now shifts to whether the annual budget for the program passes on time, since delays would undercut the long-term orders the industry needs.