TAIPEI, Sept 29 (Reuters) – Taiwan is in continuous talks with the United States about arms sales and has received reassurances since the Washington summit between the US and Chinese leaders that US policy on Taiwan has not changed, the defence minister said on Tuesday.
The United States is Chinese-claimed Taiwan’s most important international backer and weapons supplier despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
China has repeatedly called for Taiwan arms sales to end, and in May, following a Beijing trip, US President Donald Trump said he was keeping a new package worth some $14 billion in abeyance.
However, after meeting President Xi Jinping in Washington last week, Trump said only that the Chinese leader understands his position on Taiwan.
Speaking to reporters at parliament in Taipei, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said that following the Washington summit, the government has “repeatedly received explanations from the US side that US policy toward Taiwan has not changed”.
“Regarding the ongoing military sales cases, we are also in continuous discussions with the US side. Each case requires concrete cooperation. To my knowledge, we have not received any notifications of changes so far,” he added.
Taiwan already has a backlog of previously ordered weapons that have yet to be delivered.
One of the main delays is to a 2019 order for 66 Lockheed Martin F-16V fighters, equipped with more advanced avionics, weapons and radar systems to better face down the Chinese air force, including its stealthy J-20 fighters.
Taiwan media have reported that the first two F-16Vs are currently in Hawaii awaiting their delivery flight.
Koo declined to comment on the delivery schedule, saying only that production progress has reached a stage where delivery is possible, though added that there are “compensation measures” involved, given the delay.
“We will continue to coordinate with the US side” on the deliveries, he said.
Lockheed Martin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The United States is bound by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.
Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry)
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