Taiwan sees continued US arms sale support after midterm election — SkimNews
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- Wellington Koo said on Nov. 5 that Taiwan has long enjoyed cross-party US support and would continue communicating with Congress and the Department of War to ensure arms sales proceed on schedule after Democrats won both chambers.
- Trump approved a US$11 billion Taiwan arms package last December, the largest sale ever, while a second package worth about US$14 billion remains stalled.
- The US$14 billion package was held in "abeyance" as a "bargaining chip" following Trump’s May meeting with Xi Jinping.
- Chen Fang-yu said there was a high degree of consensus among Democrats and Republicans on Taiwan and that Rubio’s Indo-Pacific strategy was unlikely to change substantially.
- Four Republicans urged Trump’s administration in September to release more than US$15 billion in stalled national security assistance for Taiwan, including the US$14 billion package, ahead of Xi’s visit to the US capital.
- Ronan Fu said sales when resumed, perhaps next year, might be split into separate blocks while the total amount would remain roughly the same.
- Trump was expected to meet Xi Jinping at least twice more before year-end, at the APEC summit in China in November and the G20 in Florida in December, while Taipei officials said the new package might be pushed into 2027.
Why it matters: Taiwan is the direct beneficiary of the US$11 billion already approved, while China remains opposed because it demands an end to arms sales. The material uncertainty is delivery: the US$14 billion package might slip into 2027 or be split into blocks, though Fu said the total would remain roughly the same.
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