Taiwan says its existing U.S. arms sales remain unchanged, even as a record $14 billion package stays stalled.
Defense Minister Wellington Koo said Tuesday that Taipei remains in talks with Washington on individual deals. He told reporters in front of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, 'We haven’t received any notice of any changes to sales or our cooperation.' Koo also said he received assurances from the U.S. side that its policy toward the island remained unchanged.
The stalled package matters because it is not small. It is a record $14 billion arms deal. The United States paused it after a May summit in Beijing between Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping, according to the reporting. China has pressed Washington to halt the arms sales, which remain a major source of tension between Beijing and Washington.
Koo said 66 advanced F16-V fighter jets have reached a production stage where they are ready to be delivered. He said the jets were supposed to be delivered in 2024, according to local media, but the project has been delayed by the pandemic and production line issues.
Taiwan says it buys arms so it can defend itself in case of an invasion by China. China’s People’s Liberation Army sends fighter jets and ships toward the island almost daily. The United States does not formally recognize Taiwan as a country, but it is the island’s largest informal ally and is bound by law to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself.
Analysts said they expect U.S. arms sales to continue, though there may be a pause in the short term. Tamkang University professor Ma Chun-wei said there are two more summits between the U.S. and China scheduled within this year, and that neither side really wants to break things off. He said the Taiwan issue will be put aside temporarily, but that 'arms sales to Taiwan will still be inevitable going forward.'
The numbers come first. A $14 billion package sitting on hold is more than a diplomatic footnote. It is leverage. And when Beijing pressures Washington to stop sales, the market for security is telling the same story as the military one: power leaves a paper trail.
For Taiwan, the issue is sovereignty and deterrence. For Washington, it is credibility. Capital rewards clear rules, but deterrence requires them too. If the administration lets ambiguity harden into delay, the cost will not be measured only in headlines. It will be measured in risk.
