Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao said the United States is pausing a $14 billion arms sale to Taiwan in the wake of the ongoing conflict with Iran.
“Right now we’re doing a pause in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury, which we have plenty,” Cao said, adding, “But, we’re just making sure we have everything, then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary.”
Last week, Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te issued a public statement urging the United States to continue in its arms sales. “We thank President Trump for his continued support for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait since his first term,” Lai wrote. “Arms purchases from the United States are the most important deterrent of regional conflict and instability.”
The message came as President Trump returned from a high-stakes visit to China, where he sat face to face with Xi Jinping. Trump was asked about a new $14 billion arms package to Taiwan, one that’s been pending approval. He hadn’t signed off on it yet, he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun previously warned, “The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces on the island seek independence through force and resist reunification through force, squandering the hard-earned money of the people to purchase weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg.”
He added the sale “will only accelerate the push of the Taiwan Strait toward a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war,” adding that U.S. support for Taiwan independence “will only end up backfiring.”
