Defense Minister Meets US Delegations, Urges Faster Congressional Notification for Arms Sales

The Ministry of National Defense announced that Defense Minister Wellington Koo met with delegations from the US House of Representatives' 'Republican Study Committee' National Security Task Force, led by Chairman Zach Nunn, and a delegation led by Senator Jim Banks. They exchanged views on important issues including the special defense budget, defense policy, Taiwan-US security cooperation, and the current cross-strait situation, aiming to deepen bilateral defense exchanges and jointly maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that during his meeting with the House delegation, Koo first thanked Nunn for publicly reminding the 'China Select Committee' in February about the PRC's threats to Taiwan extending beyond traditional military aspects to 'gray-zone' harassment such as cyberattacks, information manipulation, and economic sanctions. This raised awareness and garnered support from the US Congress for Taiwan's security, demonstrating the firm commitment of Taiwan and the US as important partners.

The Ministry of National Defense mentioned that later, during his meeting with Banks, Koo noted that Banks has actively proposed pro-Taiwan legislation such as the 'Taiwan Peace Through Strength Act' since serving as a Representative. As a key member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Banks has also helped facilitate several pro-Taiwan provisions in the 'National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026,' implementing the strategic goal of 'peace through strength.'

Koo emphasized that in the face of increasingly severe regional security challenges, Taiwan needs to enhance its defense resilience and asymmetric capabilities. Taiwan has proposed the Special Defense Budget Act, which, in addition to traditional arms procurement, focuses on 'defense industry autonomy' and 'Taiwan-US technology cooperation.' The goal is to drive civilian enterprise production capacity through bilateral technical exchanges, achieving the objective of co-prosperity between defense technology and the economy.

Koo explained that US arms sales to Taiwan are a crucial force in enhancing Taiwan's self-defense capabilities and maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. He expressed gratitude for the US completing the congressional notification process for some arms sale items and sincerely hoped for the acceleration of pending items to facilitate the review and approval of the special budget.

The Ministry of National Defense stated that both Nunn and Banks affirmed Taiwan's commitment to enhancing defense autonomy and its determination to defend itself, emphasizing the irreplaceable importance of Taiwan-US security cooperation for regional stability. Both sides will continue to strengthen military exchanges and strategic dialogues to jointly defend democratic values and safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (Editor: Lin Ke-lun) 1150408