TAIPEI: Taiwan's defence ministry plans to seek up to a record US$33 billion in special funding to upgrade the island's defences against a potential Chinese attack, a senior lawmaker told AFP. As Beijing ramps up military pressure on the democratic island, Taiwan in recent years has responded by boosting its defence spending. But Washington, Taipei's biggest arms supplier, has been pushing it to do more. The ministry is working on a special budget of between NT$800 billion and NT$1 trillion (US$