Taiwan Says US' Commitment For Island Unchanged As Trump Yet To Approve $14 Bn Arms Sale Package Amid Truce With China

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Weeks after US President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington for the second time this year, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo on Tuesday (local time) said that Washington's commitment to Taipei's defences had not changed.

Speaking in parliament, he said that he had not heard of any US plans to split a proposed $14 billion arms sale into smaller packages, Reuters reported.

Taiwan says US defence support unchanged amid uncertainty

Koo noted that the US had reaffirmed its commitment to help Taiwan boost its self-defence capabilities and added, "Regarding arms sales, we respect the US review process. We are also continuing to coordinate with the United States. At present, we have not received any information about so-called separate batches."

He said that Taipei and Washington "do indeed have close exchanges in the military and defence spheres" and added, "This will also help us with our current war-preparedness efforts and the transformation of our armed forces."

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Previously, Taiwanese officials had said the US could split the arms sales package into smaller chunks to avoid upsetting Beijing too much.

US reaffirms commitment to Taiwan, but Trump holds back arms sales package

A US State Department spokesperson said the Trump administration had made its position very clear: "the enduring US commitment to Taiwan continues," as demonstrated by its arms sale notification issued in December. However, the spokesperson did not shed light on the pending arms sales package.

The US President approved an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan in December but has delayed authorising the latest proposed sale to Taipei as he seeks closer ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping and aims to preserve their trade truce.

In January, US lawmakers also approved a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan, but the sale cannot move forward until Trump formally submits it to Congress, AP reported.

After Trump met Xi in May, during their first meeting of the year, he said that he was holding up a second package and described it as a "very good negotiating chip." The US President added,“I'll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right now is a war that's 9,500 miles away.”

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Beijing, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly called for the arms sales to end.

Reuters reported that US law requires Washington to help Taiwan maintain its self-defence capabilities. The US also remains Taiwan's principal international supporter, although the two do not have formal diplomatic relations.

However, it remains to be seen whether Washington will finally move ahead with the arms sales package or whether Trump will prioritise relations with China.

(with agency inputs)

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