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
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
RSS