A US government spokesperson yesterday refused to confirm a Reuters report that Taiwan is planning a multibillion-dollar weapons purchase from the US to appease the US President Donald Trump administration.
Reuters cited three anonymous sources as saying that Taipei is in talks with Washington over an arms deal worth an estimated US$7 billion to US$10 billion.
Photo: Yimou Lee, Reuters
"The package is meant to demonstrate to the US that Taiwan is committed to its defense," Reuters cited one of the sources as saying.
Asked to comment, the US Department of State said that, as is longstanding practice, Washington does not make any comment until a deal is formalized.
"Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, the United States will continue to enable Taiwan's self-defense capabilities. As a matter of policy, we are unable to comment on or confirm potential or pending arms transfers before they are formally notified to Congress," the spokesperson said in an e-mail.
Based on a list of steps provided by the Ministry of National Defense (MND), Taiwan first requests to purchase weapons from the US.
Washington then sends a letter of offer and acceptance (LOA) with more details after the green light is given.
Taipei reviews the offer and completes a procurement proposal before sending the LOA back to Washington.
Various US government branches then review the proposal before the US government notifies Congress of the sale.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency under the US Department of Defense subsequently makes the deal public.
According to the Reuters report, the deal could include coastal defense cruise missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, a source was cited as saying.
Taiwan is planning a special budget focused on precision ammunition, air-defense upgrades, command and control systems, reserve force equipment and anti-drone technology, another source told Reuters.
The MND also did not comment on the report.
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