A bipartisan group of US senators on Tuesday sent a joint letter to Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and lawmakers from each party, urging the passage of a special defense budget and assuring the upcoming announcement of further arms sales.
The letter was cosigned by US senators Jeanne Shaheen, John Curtis, Jacky Rosen and Thom Tillis.
It was addressed to Han, Deputy Speaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), and legislators Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) of the Democratic Progressive Party, Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Wang An-hsiang (王安祥) of the Taiwan People’s Party.
Photo: CNA
Building on their visit to Taipei last month, the senators expressed confidence that Taiwan’s political leaders would “come together expeditiously to put Taiwan on a path that preserves its freedoms, prevents conflict and reflects the aspirations of an overwhelming majority of its people."
The modern battlefield, as evidenced by conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, requires exactly the low-cost and dynamic systems being developed by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, the letter said.
Addressing concerns raised during their visit about delayed US weapons deliveries, the senators assured lawmakers that the US Congress remains fully committed to providing critical capabilities in a timely manner.
Significant sales of vital defensive arms — including counter-drone assets, an integrated battle command system and medium-range munitions to enhance air defenses — are expected to be formally announced in the coming weeks, they said.
The lawmakers said they “took note of a consistent request of Washington” from Taipei to deliver on its commitments, and assured that the US is “fully committed to the timely delivery of critical capabilities.”
The letter follows the delegation’s visit to Taiwan on March 30 and 31, part of a broader Indo-Pacific tour that included onward stops to Tokyo and Seoul.
During their stay in Taipei, the delegation met with President William Lai (賴清德) and his national security team, in addition to holding discussions at the Legislative Yuan.
Lai during the visit appealed for legislative support for a government-proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.6 billion) special defense budget to be allocated over eight years to address key capability gaps.
The budget has faced delays in the legislature, where competing proposals from opposition parties remain under review.
During discussions last month, Shaheen said that passing the budget would signal "peace through strength" and demonstrate to the world that Taiwan's commitment to self-defense is unwavering.
In Tuesday's letter, the lawmakers reiterated these sentiments, stating that "nothing would send a stronger sign of resolve at this moment than for Taiwan to invest in long-term deterrence rooted in indigenous production."
The senators concluded by reaffirming the "rock solid" US-Taiwan partnership, pledging that the US Congress would continue to serve as an active guardian of bilateral ties and Taiwan's defense against Beijing's "unrelenting coercion."
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