Taiwan-US security and military talks will discuss weapons and strategies to defend island against Beijing

Working-level talks between security and military officials this week precede high-level talks next week in Washington and Annapolis, Maryland

Talks follow warning from Beijing that it will resist any efforts to make Taiwan independent and as Ukraine war offers lessons in tackling a bigger opponent

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Taiwan and the US are expected to discuss weapons and strategy during their annual military and security talks. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:02pm, 15 Jun 2022Updated: 4:23pm, 15 Jun 2022

Taiwan and the United States are expected to start their annual security talks this week, discussing the best weapons and strategies for the self-ruled island to deal with Beijing as tensions mount across the Taiwan Strait.

The talks – to begin in Washington on Wednesday – come after Chinese Defence Minister General Wei Fenghe warned on Sunday that any attempt to split the island from the mainland would trigger military action by Beijing’s forces.

They also come as the war in Ukraine offers lessons for Taiwan on how to tackle a much bigger force, such as Beijing, which views the island as its own.

The working-level talks between security and military officials from Wednesday to Friday precede high-level talks from Monday to Wednesday next week in Washington and Annapolis, Maryland, local media reports said.

Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary General Wellington Koo was expected to leave for the high-level talks – known as the Monterey Talks – later this week, the reports said.

Neither Taiwan’s presidential office nor its foreign ministry would comment on the event.