Taipei: Opposition lawmakers on Monday passed a motion to freeze half of the funding proposed for 2025 to continue work on a fleet of indigenous defense submarines (IDS) until an IDS prototype passes a required sea acceptance test (SAT) this year. The motion was passed at the Legislative Yuan with a 56-46 margin, amidst the absence of 11 lawmakers, including eight attending the U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration.

According to Focus Taiwan, lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) supported the freeze of half of the NT$2 billion (US$61.01 million) budget, while the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators opposed it. The decision effectively restricts NT$1 billion of the proposed budget from being used by the Navy until the military provides a briefing post the completion of the SATs of the IDS prototype, known as the Narwhal or Hai Kun.

KMT lawmaker Wang Wen-chun, one of the proponents of the motion, had earlier indicated that the KMT would advocate for significant cuts or freezes in the IDS budget due to substantial delays in the program. She also raised concerns about whether the prototype and IDS systems could adequately fulfill Taiwan's defense requirements.

Monday's legislative session was convened to deliberate on multiple motions proposed by the KMT and/or TPP aiming to cut and/or freeze some of the government's budget proposals for fiscal year 2025. These proposals are anticipated to clear the Legislative floor on Tuesday.

The Narwhal, unveiled in Kaohsiung in September 2023, has completed approximately 80 percent of its harbor acceptance tests (HAT). The subsequent phase, the SAT, is scheduled to commence in April and conclude by October, aligning with the delivery deadline set for November, as outlined by the Ministry of National Defense (MND). In addition to the Narwhal prototype, the MND has proposed the construction of seven indigenous submarines from 2025 to 2038, with an estimated cost of NT$284 billion.