The US was “disappointed” in Taiwan for approving an increase in military spending to purchase US weapons that wasn’t as high as the government initially proposed.
The government, led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), proposed a nearly $40 billion spending increase to purchase US weapons and Taiwanese-made drones, but the parliament, controlled by the opposition, reduced it to $25 billion. Taiwan’s main opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT), seeks better relations with Beijing and a reduction of tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
After months of negotiations, the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) said on Friday that they were willing to agree to a $25 billion boost in military spending solely for purchasing US arms, to be spread over eight years and in addition to Taiwan’s base budget. Despite a significant infusion of money to buy more US weapons, the US wasn’t satisfied.
“Our position on Taiwan’s defense budget … is that it was disappointing in that there was some stuff left on the cutting room floor that we believe still needs to be funded,” a senior US official told Reuters. “We’d like to see the rest of the original proposed package funded.”
Taiwanese Premier Cho Jung-tai said on Monday that the government would continue to push for the additional military spending, including funds to purchase more domestically made drones. “What must be remedied are national security and defense needs, and what must be restored are the people’s confidence and the international community’s trust in Taiwan,” he said. “The government will definitely take action on this.”
The approval of the additional military spending came after Taiwan signed contracts with the US for about $6.6 billion in arms, including a nearly $4 billion sale of HIMARS rocket systems. The contracts are a partial fulfillment of a massive $11 billion weapons package that the Trump administration approved in December, a number that represents more arms deals than were approved during the entire Biden administration.
China reacted strongly when the US approved the series of weapons deals, launching major military drills around Taiwan simulating a blockade. In a recent phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that Taiwan is the “biggest risk factor” in US-China relations, and the issue is expected to be discussed by President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping when they meet in Beijing this week.
