TAIPEI, Nov 5 (Reuters) – Taiwan has always enjoyed cross-party US support and Congress will continue to help in strengthening Taipei’s defence capabilities, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Thursday when asked about arms sales following the US midterm elections.
The United States is Chinese-claimed Taiwan’s most important international backer and weapons supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
While President Donald Trump last December approved $11 billion of arms for Taiwan, the largest sale ever, a second package worth some $14 billion has stalled.
Following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, Trump called the package a good “bargaining chip” that he was holding in “abeyance”.
China regularly describes the issue of Taiwan as its most sensitive and important diplomatic issue, and has repeatedly called for arms sales to stop. The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
Asked by reporters at parliament in Taipei whether there would be any changes to the $14 billion package after the Democrats won both houses in the midterms, Koo pointed to strong support from both US parties.
“I think the US Congress has always been non-partisan and will support Taiwan in strengthening its defence capabilities,” he said.
“We will also continue to communicate with members of Congress, and of course we will maintain close contact with the US Department of War to ensure that these related arms sales proceed on schedule.”
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside office hours in Washington.
In September, four of Trump’s fellow Republicans called on his administration to release more than $15 billion in stalled national security assistance for Taiwan, ahead of Xi visiting the US capital.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
