US arms sales to Taiwan on ‘pause’ due to Iran war, says acting navy chief | Taiwan
In the latest blow to Taipei following a series of comments by Donald Trump, US arms sales to Taiwan have been “paused” to ensure its military has sufficient ammunition for operations against Iran, according to Washington’s acting Navy Secretary.
Asked at a congressional hearing on Thursday about the $14bn (£10.4bn) arms package that has been awaiting Trump’s approval for months, Hung Cao said: “We’re taking a break right now to make sure we have the ammunition we need for Epic Fury. [the Iran war] – of which we have plenty.”
Cao added: “We’re just making sure we have everything, then foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems it necessary.”
Asked whether U.S. senator Mitch McConnell expects arms sales to Taiwan to eventually be approved, Cao said that secretary of state Marco Rubio and Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth will make that decision. “Yes, that’s the sad thing,” McConnell said.
Concerns are growing over reports that the United States has burned through a significant portion of its missile stockpile since launching an increasingly bitter war against Iran on February 28 that has since devolved into a fragile ceasefire.
Taiwan presidential office spokeswoman Karen Kuo said Friday in response to Cao’s statement that Taipei “has received no information that the United States intends to make any adjustments to this arms sale.”
But the announcement would be unwelcome news for Taipei, a week after Trump meets his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing for a summit where Washington’s multibillion-dollar arms packages for Taiwan are high on the agenda.
Beijing has repeatedly said it “resolutely opposes” Washington’s arms sales to the island democracy, which it views as a breakaway state even though it has never governed, and has not stopped using force.
During Trump’s visit, Xi made a harsh statement suggesting that the US and China would “collide or even clash” if the Taiwan issue is not “handled well”.
Washington maintains an ambiguous stance on whether it would defend Taiwan in an invasion scenario. But under the decades-old Taiwan Relations Act, Taipei must be provided with sufficient military equipment to defend itself.
Although Trump said he did not make any commitments on Taiwan during his call with Xi, he made several statements during the week that cast doubt on the future of Washington’s permanent support for Taipei.
In an interview with Fox News while still in Beijing, the US leader described the arms packages as a “very good negotiating chip” and suggested that Washington was ready to break with its policy that it would not consult China on the issue.
Trump also told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way back from China’s capital that he had discussed Taiwan “in great detail” with Xi and would soon “make a decision” on pending arms packages.
However, the US leader also said he planned to meet with Taiwan President Lai Ching-te; It’s a bold move that Taipei has said it is open to, but is sure to prompt a strong response from Beijing.
No US president has spoken to Taiwan’s leader since 1979, when Washington shifted diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. However, when Trump was the US president-elect in late 2016, he spoke with then-Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen.
Additional reporting by Yu-chen Li
