Taiwan Says US Arms Sales Unchanged, but Record $14 Billion Package Remains on Hold

Taiwan's Defence Minister said on Tuesday that existing United States arms sales to Taiwan remain unchanged and that Taipei is continuing talks with Washington on individual deals, even as a record $14 billion package stays paused.

"As for arms sales, we are in continuous discussions with the Americans on this," Defence Minister Wellington Koo told reporters outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. "We haven't received any notice of any changes to sales or our cooperation." He said he had received assurances from the US side that its policy towards Taiwan remained unchanged.

The remarks come amid concern that President Donald Trump could halt arms sales to Taiwan. China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, has pressed Washington to stop the sales. Beijing raised the issue most prominently at a summit in Beijing in May between Mr Trump and President Xi Jinping. The US paused the $14 billion package after that meeting. No formal decision to cancel it has been announced.

The Taiwan Relations Act, passed by the US Congress in 1979 after Washington moved diplomatic recognition to Beijing, requires the US to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. Successive US administrations have cited the Act when approving arms sales, while stating that Washington's "one China policy" is unchanged. Beijing has repeatedly sanctioned US defence companies over such sales, and regards them as interference in what it considers its internal affairs.

The US does not formally recognise Taiwan as a country, but it is Taiwan's largest informal ally. Taiwan's government says it buys weapons solely for self-defence, citing regular Chinese military activity near the island. China's People's Liberation Army sends fighter jets and ships towards Taiwan almost daily.

Mr Koo also said 66 advanced F-16V fighter jets have reached a production stage where they are ready for delivery. The aircraft were originally due to be handed over in 2024, according to local media, but the project was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and problems on the production line.

The package that remains on hold is the largest single proposed sale of US arms to Taiwan on record. Officials on both sides have described it as paused rather than cancelled, and Taiwan says it has received no notification of any change in the arrangements. The two governments have not published a timetable for the remaining summits or for a decision on the package.

Analysts said they expect US arms sales to continue, though a short-term pause is possible. "There are two more summits between the US and China scheduled within this year, so I think neither side really wants to break things off, and the Taiwan issue will be put aside temporarily," said Ma Chun-wei, a professor at Tamkang University. Even so, he added, Taiwan remains important from a security perspective and "arms sales to Taiwan will still be inevitable going forward".

Taiwan's defence ministry has said it is reviewing its procurement priorities while the larger package is stalled, and has not indicated whether it plans to seek alternative suppliers. Washington has not commented publicly on the fate of the $14 billion deal.