Taiwan Says US Arms Sales Unchanged, but $14B Package Still on Hold

Taiwan's Defense Minister said Tuesday that US arms sales to the island have not changed, and that Taipei remains in continuous discussions with Washington over individual sales, even as a record $14 billion package remains stalled following last week's Trump-Xi summit in Washington.

"As for arms sales, we are in continuous discussions with the Americans on this," Wellington Koo told reporters outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. "We haven't received any notice of any changes."

Koo said Taiwan had received a briefing from the US side after the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, confirming that Washington's policy toward Taiwan was unchanged. He added that the two sides continue to coordinate on related arms sales and cooperation.

At a separate press conference, Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesperson Chen Yi-chun pointed to comments by US Ambassador to China David Perdue, who she said had reaffirmed Washington's commitments to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances. Chen described this as a long-standing, consistent policy that the Trump administration has repeatedly affirmed since taking office.

Arms sales to Taiwan are a persistent source of friction between Beijing and Washington. China claims the island as part of its territory and has pressed the US to halt such sales, most prominently during an earlier Trump-Xi summit in Beijing in May. After that meeting, Washington paused the record-breaking $14 billion arms deal.

The US does not formally recognize Taiwan as a country, but it is the island's largest informal ally and is bound by law to help it defend itself. Taiwan says it buys arms to defend against a possible invasion, while China's People's Liberation Army sends fighter jets and ships toward the island almost daily.

Koo also said the advanced F-16V fighter jets have reached a production stage where they are ready for delivery. The 66 jets for Taiwan had been due in 2024, according to local media, but the project was delayed by the pandemic and production line issues.

Tamkang University professor Ma Chun-wei said the Taiwan issue could remain on hold as Washington and Beijing seek stable relations ahead of two more planned summits later this year. He argued that US arms sales to Taiwan remain tied to Washington's broader strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific and the First Island Chain, which includes Taiwan.

"Arms sales to Taiwan will still be an inevitable direction going forward," Ma said.