Taiwan presses case for US arms, Trump undecided
Taiwan’s government has pushed for U.S. arms supplies after President Donald Trump said he had not decided on future sales, saying U.S. arms supplies are based on U.S. law and serve as a common deterrent against regional threats.
Despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, the United States is the most important international supporter of democratically governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory. Washington is obliged to supply arms to the island under the Taiwan Relations Act.
But after a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Friday, Trump said he had not decided whether to proceed with a major arms sale, raising uncertainty about US support for Taiwan.
Karen Kuo, spokeswoman for Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, said in a statement that China’s increasing military threat is the “single destabilizing factor” in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Taiwan Strait.
“In addition, military sales between Taiwan and the United States are not only a reflection of the United States’ security commitment to Taiwan as provided for in the Taiwan Relations Act, but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats,” he said.
Kuo added that Taiwan thanked Trump for his long-standing support for the security of the Taiwan Strait and that Taipei continues to deepen cooperation with Washington.
In December, the Trump administration approved a record $11 billion arms sales package for Taiwan. Reuters reported that a second deal worth about $14 billion is still awaiting Trump’s approval.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei on Saturday, Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi declined to comment on the second package because it has not yet been made public and said Taiwan would continue to communicate with the United States to understand the situation from Washington’s perspective.
Taiwan’s government has been blocked by the opposition-controlled parliament as it tries to pass $40 billion in extra defense spending. Earlier this month, he approved two-thirds of what the government wanted, but said it was for U.S. weapons.
US Republican and Democratic politicians strongly appealed to the Trump administration to continue arms sales.
Kuo Yu-ren, vice president of the Policy Research Institute, a Taiwanese think tank, said Trump may delay approving the new package until the end of September, when he will invite Xi to visit the United States.
Trump told reporters after his summit with Xi that he suggested he would talk to President Lai about the proposed sale and said “I should talk to the person who runs Taiwan.”
When asked about this possibility, Vice Foreign Minister Chen said Taiwan still needs to try to understand the “true intent” of Trump’s words.
While Spokesperson Kuo’s statement did not make any statement as to whether Lai and Trump would talk, a senior Taiwan security official said that Trump’s implications were “quite clear.”
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, said, “The party that should discuss the arms sale is Taiwan, not Beijing.”
China has never stopped using force to control Taiwan and has rejected repeated offers to meet with Lai, whom it says is a “separatist”.
Lai’s spokesman reiterated the government’s long-standing position that the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, is a “sovereign, independent democratic country.”
