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Taipei ‘optimistic’ about arms deal even after US Navy chief says it’s on ice
Taiwan’s defence minister says Washington has not notified the island of any pause to a US$14 billion weapons package
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Lawrence Chungin Taipei
Taiwan’s defence minister said on Monday he remained “cautiously optimistic” about US approval of an arms package for the island, even as a senior Pentagon official said Washington would put the sale on hold.
The reassurance by Wellington Koo Li-hsiung came after acting US Navy chief Hung Cao said Washington was pausing the proposed deal to ensure the US military had sufficient ammunition to continue its war on Iran.
“We’re just making sure we have everything, but then the foreign military sales will continue when the administration deems necessary,” Cao told a Senate hearing on Thursday, also confirming that he had “not spoken to the Taiwanese” about the pause.
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His remarks have stirred fresh unease in Taiwan over whether the island could lose out amid a wider recalibration of Sino-US ties, particularly after Trump said he did not support Taiwan independence and appeared non-committal about the arms sale following his recent state visit to Beijing.
When asked about the arms sales at a legislative meeting on Monday, Koo said Taipei had “received no notification” from Washington that its policy on supplying arms to Taiwan had changed.
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He pointed to follow-up Pentagon comments saying any final decision rested with Trump, while long-standing US policy towards the region under the Taiwan Relations Act remained unchanged.
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