A delegation of 25 U.S. defense contractors has arrived in Taiwan to meet with local manufacturers. The delegation will be visiting the Defense Ministry, the National Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology, cybersecurity companies, and drone manufacturers. The delegation will also attend the Taiwan-U.S. Defense Industry Forum on Wednesday.
This is the largest U.S. defense contractor delegation to visit Taiwan since 2019. Some question whether their intention is to turn Taiwan into an “arms inventory” island. In response, Taiwan’s Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) says the visit’s purpose is not to sell arms to Taiwan. Instead, he says the delegation will be focusing on establishing partnerships with different manufacturers. Cheng adds that Taiwan will also look to increase business opportunities in the aerospace industry by working with these contractors.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu (劉永健) says the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council organized the delegation. Liu says the ministry does not have exact details of the delegation’s visit agenda, but it says the delegation’s priority is to attend the defense industry forum.