The United States plans to increase arms sales to Taiwan to a scale that exceeds that of President Donald Trump's first term in order to curb China's escalation of military pressure on Taiwan, according to a Reuters interview with two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The unnamed officials stated that the U.S. is pressuring Taiwan's opposition party not to oppose President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and the DPP’s plan to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP this year through a special defense budget. The acceleration of arms sales may ease concerns about Trump's commitment to Taiwan, though the move will also add new friction to the tensions between the United States and China.
However, many Taiwanese worry that Trump may be less committed to Taiwan than past U.S. presidents. During his campaign, Trump advocated that Taiwan should pay protection fees and accused Taiwan of stealing U.S. semiconductor business, sparking concerns. The legislature, majority controlled by the KMT and TPP, passed budget cuts earlier this year that could hit defense spending.
The officials said the Trump administration is committed to enhancing tough deterrence for Taiwan, and that they have sent a very strong message to the opposition: “Don't get in the way of this. This isn't a Taiwanese partisan question. This is a Taiwanese survival question.”
Regarding the possibility of increased arms sales, Presidential Office spokesperson Lii Wen (李問) responded that Taiwan is committed to strengthening its military deterrence capabilities while continuing to deepen security cooperation with the United States. KMT and TPP representatives have also expressed their firm support for increasing the defense budget.
According to Reuters, Trump approved about US$18.3 billion worth of arms sales to Taiwan in his first term, compared with the nearly US$8.4 billion approved during former President Joe Biden's term. The new arms sales are expected to focus on cost-effective tools such as missiles, ammunition, and drones to help improve Taiwan's chances of resisting any military action by China, which has a powerful military.