Taiwan in continuous arms talks with US, says defence minister
Taiwan's defence minister says arms sales discussions with the US are ongoing and no changes have been notified after the Washington summit.
Taiwan remains in continuous discussions with the United States over arms sales and has received repeated assurances that Washington's policy on Taiwan is unchanged, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters at parliament in Taipei, Koo said the government had "repeatedly received explanations from the US side that US policy toward Taiwan has not changed" following last week's summit between US and Chinese leaders in Washington.
"Regarding the ongoing military sales cases, we are also in continuous discussions with the US side. Each case requires concrete cooperation. To my knowledge, we have not received any notifications of changes so far," he added.
The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer and weapons supplier despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties. China has repeatedly called for an end to such arms sales, and in May, after a trip to Beijing, US President Donald Trump said he was holding back a new package worth about $14 billion. After meeting President Xi Jinping in Washington last week, Trump said only that the Chinese leader understands his position on Taiwan.
Taiwan already faces a backlog of previously ordered weapons awaiting delivery. A key delay concerns a 2019 order for 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V fighters, which feature more advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems intended to counter the Chinese air force, including its stealthy J-20 fighters. Taiwanese media have reported that the first two F-16Vs are in Hawaii awaiting their delivery flight.
Koo declined to comment on the delivery schedule, saying only that production progress has reached a stage where delivery is possible, while noting there are "compensation measures" involved given the delay. "We will continue to coordinate with the US side" on the deliveries, he said. Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The United States is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.