“Taiwan must purchase American weapons to ensure its self-defense against the growing threat emanating from Beijing,” the island’s top diplomatic official told the United States, adding that he had not seen any change in Washington’s policy. with regard to this autonomous island that China claims as its own.
A US$14 billion arms deal to Taiwan remains on hold since President Donald Trump returned from Beijing in May and said he had discussed the proposal “in detail” with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, heightening concerns in Taiwan and raised concerns among lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
“We need these weapons for defensive purposes,” said Alexander Yui Tah-ray, who heads Taipei’s Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States, in an interview Wednesday in Washington with the Associated Press. We are trying to increase our defense spending. We seek to strengthen our capacity to better defend ourselves and survive in times of crisis.”
The Trump administration has not followed through on a proposed US$14 billion arms deal approved by senior lawmakers earlier this year. Donald Trump called this sale a “very good negotiating asset” with China.
Washington is required, under its national law, to provide Taiwan with sufficient equipment to deter any aggression from China, which claims sovereignty over the island and pledges to seize it, by force if necessary, in order to achieve what it considers reunification. She has always opposed American arms sales to Taiwan, which has never been under Chinese communist rule.
Taiwanese diplomat says island won’t wait for ‘US cavalry’
Alexander Yui Tah-ray assured that Taiwan was aware of the need to defend its territory. “It is our responsibility, so we are not going to wait or count on the American cavalry to come and save us,” he commented. This is why we are ready to acquire, to buy American equipment and weapons to strengthen us.”
He specified that arms sales must be “proportionate” to the level of the threat, which is “in reality quite high” from China.
“Above all, we are not the aggressors. It is the People’s Republic of China that is sending all these planes and ships, he said. They’re the ones making all this fuss. They are the ones trying to destroy our freedom and democracy in Taiwan.”
China sends warships and military aircraft near Taiwan almost daily and has conducted major military exercises around the island in recent years.
Beijing considers the island a vital interest and has criticized those who support Taiwanese independence, accusing them of causing instability in the Taiwan Strait. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
Alexander Yui Tah-ray stressed that there had been no change in the US position on Taiwan and that the Taiwanese government would respect the Trump administration’s “pace” in issuing its announcements.
The gun sale has broad support in Congress, with lawmakers raising concerns with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at a hearing this month. Mr. Rubio affirmed that American policy towards Taiwan had not changed and that Washington was not “consulting the Chinese on these arms contracts”.
“We know their position. They talk about it all the time, Rubio said of Beijing. These agreements are not subject to any negotiation, and we are not consulting the Chinese on this subject.
Mr. Rubio clarified that the proposal was not blocked but under review, and that the administration must take into account other factors.
“This includes the availability of short-term stocks,” Rubio said of US arms stocks, which were reduced during the Iran war. We need to find a balance with our own procurement process.”
However, the administration approved another US$11 billion arms deal to Taiwan in December, including high-mobility artillery rocket systems and howitzers.
Yui Tah-ray face à la deuxième présidence de Trump
Alexander Yui Tah-ray arrived in Washington at the end of 2023, under the presidency of Joe Biden. The latter had declared on several occasions that he would send troops to the island if Beijing attacked.
Today, he must deal with the whims of the second Trump administration, which adopted a more conciliatory tone towards Beijing after an intense trade war marked by retaliatory tariff measures.
If Donald Trump caused surprise by ignoring a promise dating from the Reagan era not to accept prior consultation with Beijing on arms sales to Taiwan, he also declared that he could call Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, thus breaking with a practice several years old. decades according to which no current American president had ever spoken directly with the leader of the island.
In its National Defense Strategy released in January, the Pentagon said it sought to deter China through force, not confrontation. It says the United States will “establish, deploy and maintain a powerful denial defense” along a strategic line of islands, including Taiwan, to prevent China from expanding into the broader Pacific Ocean.
Alexander Yui Tah-ray attributed what appeared to be mixed messages to Donald Trump’s unconventional style, but expressed confidence in Taiwan-US relations.
“It is important to focus on actions, on what is really happening, and not just on rhetoric,” he stressed. The big stick is still there.”
