TAIPEI: There is no new “stage of talks” with the United States right now on arms sales, Taiwan’s government said Monday, as the island considers how best to meet US President-elect Donald Trump’s earlier demands that the Taipei for protection.
Trump, who won a second term as president last week, has lashed out at democratically-ruled Taiwan, which is claimed by China, saying it must pay the US for its defense and that it had taken away American semiconductor businesses.
Trump has not specified what he means by Taiwan paying for its protection, but it could mean Taipei is taking the demand seriously with major new arms deals early in his administration, people familiar with government thinking say.
Taiwan’s presidential office, in a statement responding to media reports that the government was planning a major arms purchase from the United States, said that in the face of growing Chinese military threats, Taiwan and its neighbors continued to strengthen their defense prevention.
This “proves their determination to defend themselves,” it said.
“There has been a period of consolidation and discussion between Taiwan and the United States on military needs, but there is no new stage of discussion at this time,” the presidency added, without elaborating.
Taiwan, which rejects China’s sovereignty claims, has complained about a backlog of about $20 billion worth of weapons it previously ordered from the United States.
The United States is Taiwan’s major international supporter and arms supplier even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties, but there is no defense treaty, unlike in the case of Japan and South Korea.
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