Retired US army general Charles Flynn yesterday commended Taiwan’s expanded defense investments during the Taiwan-US Defense Industry Forum in Taipei, which boasted the largest-ever delegation to the event.
The forum, cohosted by the US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) and the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), as in previous years, focused on the development of the bilateral defense supply chain.
Flynn led a 41-member delegation to Taiwan for the event, the largest in the forum’s history.
Photo: CNA
Addressing concerns that talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — as well as Trump’s remarks on arms sales to Taiwan — might cast a shadow over future cooperation, Flynn said he had not sensed any hesitation from the business sector.
Instead, the rapid growth in participating companies demonstrates expanding market opportunities, Flynn said, adding that geopolitical threats give a sense of urgency, particularly in the defense sector.
While declining to comment directly on specific Taiwanese arms procurement budgets, Flynn said that President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has made significant progress in military training, investment, organizational reform and the adoption of new technologies.
He praised Taiwan for increasing its own defense investments, which he said helps protect its sovereignty and security.
TAITRA chairman James Huang (黃志芳) said the Taiwan-US relationship is shifting from a traditional model based on arms sales and procurement toward a strategic industrial partnership.
Taiwan possesses a deep industrial foundation in semiconductors, information and communications technology (ICT), and low Earth orbit satellites, which can be rapidly converted for defense applications such as drones, artificial intelligence identification and satellite communications, Huang said.
Taiwan’s expertise in manufacturing and system integration combined with top-tier US defense technology makes the two sides a “perfect match,” he added.
As the global focus on defense supply chain autonomy rises due to geopolitical tensions, TAITRA earlier this month invited 30 businesses from Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic to Taiwan to share firsthand opportunities regarding Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.
The group included three of Ukraine’s top drone manufacturers, focusing on military uncrewed aerial vehicles and the ICT sector.
The US-Taiwan partnership is aimed not only at the Taiwanese market, but also at the US and global markets, USTBC president Rupert Hammond-Chambers said.
The delegation size had grown from just seven members initially to 41 this year, with Hammond-Chambers saying that he had never seen such a high level of interest in engaging with Taiwan.
The pairing of top-tier US defense technology and Taiwan’s robust ICT integration capabilities constitutes an alliance of strengths that aims to build a defense industry ecosystem capable of tapping into global supply chains, he said.
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