The Ministry of National Defense yesterday declined to say whether Taiwan is pursuing a multibillion-dollar weapons purchase from the US, after sources briefed on the matter said that officials are in talks with Washington to procure at least US$7 billion of arms.
Three sources familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters that Taiwan is in talks with Washington.
The package is meant to demonstrate to the US that Taiwan is committed to its defense, one of the sources said.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
A second source said the package would include coastal defense cruise missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems.
“I would be very surprised if it was less than US$8 billion. Somewhere between US$7 billion and US$10 billion,” the source added.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
However, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has said he wants to speed up delivery of weapons to Taiwan.
The ministry declined to comment on specific purchases, but said it is focused on building its defenses.
“Any weaponry and equipment that can achieve those goals for building the military are listed as targets for tender,” said Major General Weng Yu-heng (翁予恒) from the Department of Strategic Planning.
The ministry would plan a special budget based on the threats posed by enemies, how urgently certain types of weapons are needed, production capacity and estimated delivery schedules, Weng added.
However, a third source said that Taiwan plans to propose a special defense budget that prioritizes precision ammunition, air defense upgrades, command and control systems, equipment for reserve forces and anti-drone technology.
Another ministry source told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) that the military is assessing measures to bolster the nation’s resilience, including projects related to armed forces reserves, asymmetric capabilities, precision-guided munition stockpiles, and intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities in the air and sea.
Following a national security meeting on Friday last week, President William Lai (賴清德) said that he would prioritize efforts to plan a special budget to raise Taiwan’s national defense budget to 3 percent of GDP to bolster its self-defense capabilities.
During his first term from 2017 to 2021, US President Donald Trump made regular arms sales to Taiwan, including multibillion dollar deals for F-16 jets.
The administration of former US president Joe Biden continued those sales, although often with smaller price tags.
Taiwan does not believe Trump is looking to make a “grand bargain” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to sell out Taiwan’s interests, one of the sources said.
Trump is more concerned with putting tariffs on semiconductors, the source said.
In another sign of US commitment to Taiwan, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene is to retain his post, three sources told Reuters, even as other US diplomatic postings undergo major reshuffles.
Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao and CNA
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
STEADFAST FRIEND: The bills encourage increased Taiwan-US engagement and address China’s distortion of UN Resolution 2758 to isolate Taiwan internationally The Presidential Office yesterday thanked the US House of Representatives for unanimously passing two Taiwan-related bills highlighting its solid support for Taiwan’s democracy and global participation, and for deepening bilateral relations. One of the bills, the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, requires the US Department of State to periodically review its guidelines for engagement with Taiwan, and report to the US Congress on the guidelines and plans to lift self-imposed limitations on US-Taiwan engagement. The other bill is the Taiwan International Solidarity Act, which clarifies that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of the representation of Taiwan or its people in
SHIFT: Taiwan’s better-than-expected first-quarter GDP and signs of weakness in the US have driven global capital back to emerging markets, the central bank head said The central bank yesterday blamed market speculation for the steep rise in the local currency, and urged exporters and financial institutions to stay calm and stop panic sell-offs to avoid hurting their own profitability. The nation’s top monetary policymaker said that it would step in, if necessary, to maintain order and stability in the foreign exchange market. The remarks came as the NT dollar yesterday closed up NT$0.919 to NT$30.145 against the US dollar in Taipei trading, after rising as high as NT$29.59 in intraday trading. The local currency has surged 5.85 percent against the greenback over the past two sessions, central
US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on Friday expressed concern over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises, the Financial Times (FT) reported on Saturday. “The rates of change on the depth and breadth of their exercises is the one non-linear effect that I’ve seen in the last year that wakes me up at night or keeps me up at night,” Paparo was quoted by FT as saying while attending the annual Sedona Forum at the McCain Institute in Arizona. Paparo also expressed concern over the speed with which China was expanding its military. While the US
RSS