Taiwan Parliament Clears Path for New US Arms Deal

Taiwan’s Parliament on March 13 gave legal approval to the government to sign agreements with the United States for four major arms sales packages. The decision came after officials warned that missing the deadline could push Taiwan to the back of the production and delivery queue for the weapons.

The move follows weeks of political debate over defence spending in Taiwan. President Lai Ching-te’s government had proposed an additional US$40 billion defence budget to strengthen the island’s military capabilities. However, opposition parties — which hold the most seats in Parliament — argued the proposal lacked clarity and said they could not approve what they called “blank cheques”, despite supporting stronger national defence.

The debate raised concerns in Washington because the United States is Taiwan’s most important international supporter and primary arms supplier, even though the two sides do not have formal diplomatic relations.

To avoid delays, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties agreed on March 12 that the government should be allowed to sign the weapons agreements in advance, even if Parliament has not yet completed its review of the defence spending proposals.

Parliament Speaker Han Kuo-yu later announced that the authorisation had been passed unanimously. While reading the resolution, he said Parliament remains committed to prioritising national security and defending Taiwan’s territorial integrity.

According to Taiwan’s defence ministry, the weapons included in the agreements are TOW anti-tank missiles, M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, Javelin missiles made by Lockheed Martin, and the HIMARS multiple launch rocket system.

Government officials said the agreements must be signed before specific deadlines to secure Taiwan’s place in the production schedule. Defence Minister Wellington Koo earlier said the offer for 82 HIMARS systems — part of an US$11 billion arms package — will expire on March 26, while the deadline to sign for other systems is March 15.

Lawmakers from the ruling party welcomed the decision, saying the early authorisation would ensure that Taiwan’s acquisition of critical defence systems is not delayed or cancelled.