Taiwan recently signed six arms deals with the US worth about $6.6 billion as the Trump administration is pushing ahead with major weapons sales to the island despite warnings from China.
According to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, the agreements, which include a contract for HIMARS rocket systems, were signed earlier this month by the US’s de facto embassy in Taiwan, the American Institute in Taiwan, and Taiwan’s defense mission in the US, which is part of Taipei’s de facto embassy in Washington.
The contracts appear to be a partial fulfillment of a massive $11 billion weapons package the Trump administration approved in December 2025, a figure greater than the $8.4 billion in arms sold to Taiwan during the entire Biden administration.
According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, the six contracts signed this week include:
- M142 HIMARS Multiple Launch Rocket Systems valued at $3.9 billion
- M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzers valued at $2.3 billion
- A deal to replenish the Taiwanese military’s missile supply for $168.7 million
- Anti-armor missiles for Taiwan’s Navy are valued at $162 million
- Joint US-Taiwan production of large-caliber ammunition for $29 million
- Consulting services for air defense systems at $726,000 USD
China has made it very clear that it strongly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan, especially such massive deals. In response to the Trump administration approving the $11 billion package, the Chinese military launched major military drills around Taiwan, encircling the island to simulate a blockade.
At the time, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that anyone who “tries to arm Taiwan to contain China will only embolden the separatists and push the Taiwan Strait closer to the peril of armed conflict.”
