Defense review talks between Taiwan and the US could be held as soon as November, focusing on views on arms sales and defense strategies that might have changed since the Chinese military drills around Taiwan early this month, senior officials at the Ministry of National Defense have said.
Taiwan and the US regularly discuss those topics through various channels, including at the Monterey Talks in June, but the assessment of the Chinese military threat might have changed since the annual bilateral defense dialogue in California, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The ministry hopes to discuss the issue again in November, they said.
Photo: Reuters
National Security Council Secretary-General Wellington Koo (顧立雄) might attend the review talks, after his deputy attended last year’s edition of the annual event, they said.
The review talks would be held “sometime around November,” as it was last year, the source said.
There have always been differing views on US arms sales to Taiwan, with some calling for the acquisition of larger weapons platforms, the source said.
However, the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) focuses primarily on the domestic development of missiles, a submarine force and missile-bearing speedboats, they said.
The arms packages offered to Taiwan by the administration of US President Joe Biden have primarily focused on boosting Taiwan’s asymmetrical warfare capabilities, a significant departure from the stance of Biden’s predecessor, they said.
Calls for larger weapons platforms have become louder since the Chinese drills, during which its military shot missiles over Taiwan proper, they said.
However, others in Taiwan highlight that it is difficult to predict what a Chinese attack would look like and what weapons would be needed to defend the nation, so the US would at the moment not change the kind of arms it offers, they said.
The ministry expects to acquire packages that include precision munitions for combat jets and equipment to increase military repair stations, they said.
The source also said that the army has voiced dissent over the US’ plans to replace M109A6 Paladins with M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).
However, obtaining HIMARS is in line with Taiwan’s asymmetrical warfare strategy, the source said.
The US in May informed the ministry that a delivery of 155mm M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers would be delayed due to a “crowded” production line.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
RSS