A US lawmaker urged Taiwan on Friday to approve a drone spending proposal, warning that "time is short" for the island democracy as it faces the threat of a potential Chinese attack.
"Time is short, and the faster a comprehensive drone bill can pass, the better," Republican lawmaker Young Kim said during a visit to Taipei by a bipartisan congressional delegation.
China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.
President Lai Ching-te's government has been under intense US pressure to increase defence spending.
His government wants to allocate up to NT$210 billion ($6.5 billion) over more than five years for Taiwan-made unmanned vehicles, including coastal surveillance, attack and surface drones.
The Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan's main opposition party in favour of closer ties with China, has proposed NT$240 billion in spending over six years.
But the KMT wants to cap spending at NT$40 billion a year and include it in the annual budget.
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