Summary
Taiwan weapons sales over coming four years could ‘easily’ exceed levels in first Trump term
U.S. officials ask Taiwan opposition not to oppose defense budget increases
Sales could ease worries over Trump’s commitment to Taipei
WASHINGTON/TAIPEI, May 30 (Reuters) – The United States plans to ramp up weapons sales to Taipei to a level exceeding President Donald Trump’s first term as part of an effort to deter China as it intensifies military pressure on the democratic island, according to two U.S. officials.
If U.S. arms sales to Taiwan do accelerate, it could ease worries about the extent of Trump’s commitment to the island. It would also add new friction to the tense U.S.-China relationship.
The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they expect U.S. approvals for weapons sales to Taipei over the next four years to surpass those in Trump’s first term, with one of the officials saying arms sales notifications to Taiwan could “easily exceed” that earlier period.
They also said the United States is pressing members of Taiwan’s opposition parties not to oppose the government’s efforts to increase defense spending to 3% of the island’s economic output.
The first Trump administration approved sales of approximately $18.3 billion worth of weapons to Taiwan, compared with around $8.4 billion during Joe Biden’s term, according to Reuters calculations.
The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei.
Even so, many in Taiwan, which China claims as its own, worry that Trump may not be as committed to the island as past U.S. presidents.
On the election campaign trail, Trump suggested Taiwan should pay to be protected and also accused the island of stealing American semiconductor business, causing alarm in Taipei.
China has vowed to “reunify” with the separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
The U.S. officials said administration officials and Trump himself were committed to “enhancing hard deterrence” for Taiwan.
“That’s where the president is. That’s where all of us are,” one U.S. official said, adding that they were working closely with Taiwan on an arms procurement package to be rolled out when Taiwan secured domestic funding.
Taiwan’s Presidential Office told Reuters the government is determined to strengthen its self-defense capabilities and pointed to its proposals to increase defense spending.
“Taiwan aims to enhance military deterrence while continuing to deepen its security cooperation with the United States,” Presidential Office spokesperson Wen Lii said.
Taiwan’s defense ministry declined to comment on any new arms sales, but reiterated previous remarks by the island’s defense minister, Wellington Koo, about the importance of “solidarity and cooperation of democratic allies.”
China’s foreign ministry reiterated its opposition to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan on Friday, with spokesperson Lin Jian telling reporters that the United States should stop creating “new factors” that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait.
‘DON’T GET IN THE WAY’
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) aim to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP this year through a special defense budget.
But the island’s parliament, controlled by opposition parties the Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), passed budget cuts earlier this year that threatened to hit defense spending.
That triggered concerns in Washington, where officials and lawmakers have regularly said the U.S. cannot show more urgency over Taiwan’s defense than the island itself.
“We’re messaging pretty hard (in Taipei) to the opposition. Don’t get in the way of this. This isn’t a Taiwanese partisan question. This is a Taiwanese survival question,” one of the U.S. officials told Reuters.
Three people in Taiwan with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed that the U.S. government and U.S. congressional visitors have been pressing the opposition parties in Taiwan not to block defense spending, especially the coming special defense budget, which is expected to be proposed to parliament later this year.
“As long as they knew there were people from the opposition in the room, they directly asked them not to cut the defense budget,” one of the people said.
Alexander Huang, director of the KMT’s international department, told Reuters it was “beyond question” that the party firmly supports increasing the defense budget and its “doors are open” to the U.S. government and the ruling DPP for consultations.
“Supporting an increased budget does not mean serving as a rubber stamp, nor does it preclude making adjustments or engaging in negotiations regarding the special budget proposals put forth by the DPP administration,” he added.
The much smaller TPP said it has “always had smooth communication with the U.S. side and has continued to engage in in-depth dialogue on issues such as national defense and regional security.”
Reuters reported in February that Taiwan was exploring a multi-billion dollar arms purchase from the U.S., hoping to win support from the new Trump administration.
New weapons packages are expected to focus on missiles, munitions and drones, cost-effective means to help improve Taiwan’s chances of rebuffing any military action by China’s much larger forces.
For years, China has been steadily ramping up its military pressure to assert its sovereignty claims over the island that is home to critical chip manufacturing vital to the global economy.
Separately, one of the U.S. officials said the Trump administration would not object to a transit this year through U.S. territory by Lai, whom Beijing labels a “separatist.”
Past visits to the United States by Taiwanese officials have triggered angry objections by China, which sees such trips as inappropriate given that the United States has diplomatic relations with Beijing, not Taipei.
Taiwan’s presidential office spokesperson Lii said there are currently “no plans for a presidential transit through the United States at the moment.”
Reporting by Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom in Washington and Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis and Lincoln Feast.
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摘要
未來四年對台武器銷售可能「輕鬆」超過川普第一任期的水平
美國官員要求台灣反對派不要反對增加國防預算
武器銷售或將緩解人們對川普對台北承諾的擔憂
華盛頓/台北，5月30日（路透社）—據兩名美國官員稱，美國計劃將對台武器銷售規模提升至超過唐納德·特朗普總統第一任期的水平，以遏制中國加大對台灣的軍事壓力。
如果美國對台武器銷售真的加速，這可能會緩解人們對川普對台灣承諾程度的擔憂。但這也會為緊張的中美關係增添新的摩擦。
這些不願透露姓名的美國官員表示，預計未來四年美國批准對台武器銷售的數量將超過川普第一任期，其中一位官員表示，對台武器銷售通知的數量可能「輕鬆超過」川普第一任期。
他們也表示，美國正在敦促台灣反對黨成員不要反對政府將國防開支提高到台灣經濟產出的3%的努力。
路透社報道，川普第一屆政府批准對台武器銷售價值約183億美元，而喬拜登任期約為84億美元。
儘管華盛頓與台北之間沒有正式的外交關係，但美國仍然是台灣最重要的國際支持者和武器供應國。
即便如此，許多台灣人（中國聲稱台灣是其領土）仍然擔心，川普對台灣的忠誠度可能不如歷屆美國總統高。
在競選期間，川普曾暗示台灣應該花錢保護，並指責台灣竊取美國半導體業務，在台北引起了恐慌。
中國誓言要與這個分治的島嶼“統一”，必要時將動用武力。台灣政府拒絕北京的主權主張，表示只有台灣人民才能決定自己的未來。
美國官員表示，政府官員和川普本人都致力於「加強對台灣的硬威懾」。
「總統就是這麼想的。我們所有人都這麼想，」一位美國官員說。他還補充說，他們正與台灣密切合作，制定一項武器採購方案，該方案將在台灣獲得國內資金後推出。
台灣總統府告訴路透社，政府決心加強自衛能力，並提到了增加國防開支的提議。
「台灣的目標是加強軍事威懾力，同時繼續深化與美國的安全合作，」總統府發言人文麗表示。
台灣國防部拒絕就任何新的軍售發表評論，但重申了台灣國防部長顧維鈞先前關於「民主盟友團結合作」重要性的言論。
中國外交部週五重申反對美國對台軍售，發言人林建告訴記者，美國應停止製造可能導致台海緊張的「新因素」。
「別擋道」
台灣總統賴清德及其領導的民進黨計畫透過特別國防預算，將今年的國防開支提高到GDP的3%。
但由反對黨國民黨和民眾黨控制的台灣立法院今年稍早通過了削減預算的議案，這可能會對國防開支造成衝擊。
這引發了華盛頓的擔憂。華盛頓官員和議員經常表示，美國對台灣防衛的迫切性不能超過台灣本身。
「我們（在台北）向反對派發出了非常強烈的訊息。不要插手此事。這不是台灣黨派之爭的問題，而是台灣的生存問題，」一位美國官員告訴路透社。
三位直接了解情況的台灣人士證實，美國政府和美國國會議員一直在敦促台灣反對派不要阻撓國防開支，尤其是即將出台的特別國防預算，預計將於今年稍後提交給國會。
「只要他們知道房間裡有反對派人士，他們就會直接要求他們不要削減國防預算，」其中一位人士說。
國民黨國際部主任黃志強告訴路透社，國民黨「毫無疑問」堅定支持增加國防預算，並「敞開大門」向美國政府和執政黨民進黨進行磋商。
“支持增加預算並不意味著充當橡皮圖章，也不排除對民進黨政府提出的特別預算方案進行調整或參與談判。”
他補充說：“配給。”
規模小得多的TPP表示，“一直與美方保持著順暢的溝通，並持續就國防和地區安全等問題進行深入對話。”
路透社2月報道稱，台灣正在探索從美國購買數十億美元的武器，希望贏得新川普政府的支持。
新的武器計畫預計將專注於飛彈、彈藥和無人機，這些成本效益高的手段有助於提高台灣抵禦中國強大得多的軍事行動的幾率。
多年來，中國一直在穩步加大軍事壓力，以維護對台灣的主權。台灣是全球經濟至關重要的關鍵晶片製造基地。
此外，一位美國官員表示，川普政府不會反對黎智英今年過境美國，北京方面稱黎智英為「分離主義者」。
過去台灣官員訪美曾引發中國的強烈反對，中國認為此類訪問鑑於美國與北京而非台北有外交關係，這種說法並不恰當。
台灣總統府發言人李偉表示，目前「沒有總統過境美國的計畫」。