US says it’s pushing to speed up Taiwan weapons shipments
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The flow of American military hardware to Taiwan has been throttled in recent years because the US focused on backing Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
FILE PHOTO: REUTERS
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TAIPEI – The US is trying to speed up arms shipments to Taiwan, according to the de facto ambassador to Taipei, comments likely to reassure officials in Taipei worried about the Trump administration pausing military aid for Ukraine.
“We are actively working to accelerate delivery timelines, particularly for equipment related to asymmetric warfare as this is especially crucial for Taiwan’s defence,” Mr Raymond Greene, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, said in an interview with the Liberty Times, a newspaper in Taipei.
“If the war in Ukraine comes to an end, we are expected to shift our focus back to Taiwan’s defence needs,” he added in the interview. The paper did not say when the interview was held.
Taiwan depends on US military support to fend off China, which wants to bring the democracy of 23 million people under its control someday, by force if needed.
The flow of American military hardware to Taiwan has been throttled in recent years because the US focused on backing Ukraine following Russia’s full-scale invasion
When asked about Mr Greene’s comments on March 10 at a regular press briefing in Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said her nation opposed “the US selling arms to Taiwan.”
Ms Mao reiterated that the Taiwan issue was a “core interest” for Beijing, and called on the US to “stop provocations in the Taiwan Strait.”
Questions over Washington’s commitment to Taiwan have mounted since President Donald Trump’s heated encounter with Ukraine’s Mr Volodymyr Zelensky
That episode was quickly followed by the US holding up all pending military assistance until Mr Trump determines Ukraine’s leaders show a good-faith commitment to peace.
Underscoring Taiwan’s hope for continued US military backing, Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Chihchung Wu said last week that Taiwan was “praying” for closer security ties.
China has ramped up its military intimidation of Taiwan in recent years, including by holding several sets of major exercises around the main island.
It also tests Taiwan’s air force and naval capabilities on a near-daily basis with forays into the archipelago’s sensitive areas.
Beijing indicated that pressure would persist late in February, when its No. 4 official Wang Huning used stronger language about Taiwan than delivered in the past.
Speaking at a meeting in Beijing, Mr Wang urged his nation to “shape the inevitable reunification of the motherland”. BLOOMBERG
