Taiwan sees continued US arms sale support after midterm election
While US President Donald Trump last December approved US$11 billion in arms for Taiwan, a second package worth about US$14 billion has stalled.
Taiwan has consistently received bipartisan US support for its defense, according to Defence Minister Wellington Koo, even after the US midterm elections. The United States remains Taiwan's most significant international ally and arms supplier, despite lacking formal diplomatic relations. Following President Trump's approval of US$11 billion in arms for Taiwan in December, a subsequent package valued at approximately US$14 billion has remained frozen.
During a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, Trump referred to the latter package as a "bargaining chip" he had set aside. Both Democratic and Republican US politicians have shown strong backing for Taiwan's defense efforts. Koo emphasized that the US Congress remains non-partisan and will continue to assist Taipei in enhancing its defense capabilities.
Taiwan's government denies Beijing's sovereignty claims, asserting that only the island's people can determine their destiny. The Pentagon has yet to provide a comment on the matter.
Written by urgent.news from Channel News Asia's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
