Taiwan has already held preliminary talks with the US about what weapons it wants to buy as part of a US$40 billion supplementary defense budget, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said today.
President William Lai (賴清德) announced yesterday the new spending plan, which runs from next year to 2033, to underscore Taiwan's determination to defend itself in the face of a rising threat from China.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Koo said purchases from the US naturally constitute a significant part of the spending plans.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
"We have already completed preliminary coordination with the US on the planning for this military procurement project," he said.
Taiwan has formally obtained from the US Department of Defense the procurement item quantities, quotation information, transaction timelines and other relevant details, showing the US is willing to provide the weapons, Koo added.
However, no details can be revealed before a formal notification to the US Congress, he said.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of business hours in Washington.
As Taiwan faces calls from Washington to spend more on its own defense, mirroring US pressure on Europe, Lai said in August he hoped for a boost in defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2030.
However, since US President Donald Trump took office in January, only one new arms sale to Taiwan has been approved, a US$330 million package for fighter jets and other aircraft parts announced this month.
The US plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taipei to a level exceeding Trump's first term, as part of an effort to deter China, two US officials told Reuters in May.
China has condemned Taiwan's new defense spending plans, as it always does.
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