The US is likely to approve pending weapons sales to Taiwan in the coming weeks, a bipartisan group of senators assured Taiwanese lawmakers in a letter, urging Taipei to hasten its stalled defense spending in the face of pressure from China.
The letter comes ahead of a planned May 14 to 15 trip to China by US President Donald Trump, whose moves to secure a favorable trade deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) have raised concerns in the US and Taiwan that he could curb Washington’s military support for Taipei.
“The United States Congress is fully committed to the timely delivery of critical capabilities to Taiwan and we expect that pending sales will be announced in the coming weeks,” US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, wrote in the letter seen by Reuters.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen and Republican senators Thom Tillis and John Curtis also signed the letter.
Those packages include “counterdrone assets, an integrated battle command system, and medium-range munitions to enhance Taiwan’s air defenses,” the senators said in letter dated Tuesday addressed to Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) and top opposition lawmakers.
President William Lai (賴清德) in November proposed US$40 billion in extra defense spending to counter China, but the opposition, led by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), has tied up the proposal in favor of its own, less expensive plan.
Last week, KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) visited China on what she called a “peace mission” to reduce tensions at a time when Beijing has stepped up military pressure against Taiwan.
US lawmakers have repeatedly pushed the Legislative Yuan to move forward with the defense outlays, and the letter reiterated the importance of enabling “not only procurement of American equipment but also speedier domestic production of asymmetric capabilities.”
China has long demanded a halt to weapons sales to Taiwan by the US, Taipei’s most important international backer despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.
Xi told Trump in February that arms sales to Taiwan must be handled with “prudence,” and the Chinese leader is expected to press the Taiwan issue during Trump’s visit.
Nonetheless, the Trump administration in December approved a record US$11 billion in weapons sales to Taiwan.
Reuters has reported that weapons packages worth as much as US$14 billion could be announced by the Trump administration sometime following his trip, which was delayed from earlier this month.
In Taipei, DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) yesterday urged opposition parties to reach a consensus through next week’s classified briefing and caucus negotiations to pass the special defense bill as soon as possible and ensure the integrity of Taiwan’s defense system.
KMT Legislator Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) yesterday said that Han held a cross-caucus negotiation three days ago, and that next week, the Ministry of National Defense is expected to hold another special project briefing before another round of cross-caucus negotiation is to take place next week.
The review would proceed according to established procedures, he said, adding that any such commitments or goodwill from the US would have a positive impact on advancing the arms procurement legislation.
Additional reporting by Lin Hsin-han
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS