The possibility of producing US arms in Taiwan might be discussed at the US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference next month, a researcher said yesterday.
The conference would be held from Sept. 22 to 24 in Philadelphia, and the issue of repairing and manufacturing US arms and parts might be discussed, said Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌), a researcher at the government-funded think tank Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
“Taiwanese factories are definitely capable of doing arms repairs, but they would need to strengthen management before they could obtain authorization,” he said.
Photo: Reuters
The military has a lot of equipment in its arsenal that needs to be sent to the US for repairs, but that process takes time, and some older parts are no longer manufactured, he said.
“Many people have been discussing whether cooperation between manufacturers in the US and Taiwan could be improved so that some of those parts could be manufactured in Taiwan,” he said. “It is possible that through discussion, the Armaments Bureau, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, or Taiwanese manufacturers could be permitted to produce some components.”
However, since the issue involves intellectual property rights it would require authorization from the US or companies there, he said.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said that US procurement regulations stipulate patent and confidentiality rights, and that the US typically makes procurement-related decisions centrally and on a case-by-case basis.
Citing an example of a possible arrangement, Su said that the US might allow parts for the Lockheed P-3 Orion submarine hunter to be produced in Taiwan, or might obtain Japanese parts for the aircraft to sell them to Taiwan.
At the first session of next month’s conference, the two sides would discuss threats ahead the US’ defense industry, while the last three sessions would cover talks on how the industry could effectively respond to global situations, Taiwan-US defense industry cooperation model and arms sales to Taiwan, he said.
“One of the key requirements for the US to authorize production of parts in Taiwan would be for companies to strengthen their management of information security to prevent technology from being leaked to China or a third party,” he said.
Taiwan would also need to establish a third-party certification platform to vet manufacturers based on transparency and other factors, he said.
“The Ministry of National Defense should also calculate the service life of old equipment and provide manufacturers with complete procurement demand planning so that they would be willing to produce parts that are obsolete or nearing obsoletion,” he said.
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The New Taipei City Art Museum this weekend plans to celebrate its first anniversary with a two-day extravaganza featuring live concerts and a large-scale synchronized fireworks and drone display, the New Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department said. The two-day celebrations are to take place in the museum’s outdoor park, with markets and live performances by singers including Ann Bai (白安), Bii (畢書盡) and the Cosmos People (宇宙人), the department said. The highlight on both evenings would be the "Echoes of Light" show, an aerial spectacle combining fireworks and drone performances designed around the concept of "dual stages in the sky," it
RSS