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Reuters

Taiwan is exploring buying arms worth billions of dollars from the United States, sources briefed on the matter said, hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as mainland China continues to apply military pressure on the self-ruled island.
Three sources familiar with the situation, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters that Taiwan is in talks with Washington.
The package is meant to demonstrate to the United States that Taiwan is committed to defending itself, one of the sources said.
A second source said the package would include coastal defence cruise missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rockets (Himars).
“I would be very surprised if it was less than US$8 billion. Somewhere between US$7 billion to US$10 billion,” the source said.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz has said he wants to speed delivery of weapons to Taiwan.
Taiwan’s defence ministry declined to comment on specific purchases but said it is focused on building its defences.
“Any weaponry and equipment that can achieve those goals for building the military are listed as targets for tender,” it said.
Beijing claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and in the past two years has stepped up military and diplomatic pressure to assert its claim of sovereignty, fuelling anger in Taipei and concern in Washington


US President Donald Trump unnerved chip powerhouse Taiwan on the election campaign trail by saying the island stole American semiconductor business. This month, he threatened tariffs on chip imports.
But his administration maintained diplomatic support for the island.
Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba issued a joint statement on February 7 opposing any attempt to change the current situation in the Taiwan Strait through force or coercion.
The US State Department also removed language on its website that it does not support Taiwan independence, a move praised by the island’s government. China has urged the US to “correct its mistakes”.
Taiwan plans to propose a special defence budget that prioritises precision ammunition, air-defence upgrades, command and control systems, equipment for the reserve forces and anti-drone technology, a third source familiar with the matter said.
During his 2017-2021 term, Trump established regular arms sales to Taiwan, including multibillion-dollar deals for F-16 fighter jets. The Biden administration continued these sales, though often with smaller price tags.
Taiwanese officials see encouraging signs from Trump’s administration even as tariff threats weigh on that optimism.
Taiwan does not believe Trump is looking to make a “grand bargain” with Chinese President Xi Jinping to sell out Taiwan’s interests, one of the sources said. Trump is more concerned with putting tariffs on semiconductors, the source said.
In another sign of US commitment to Taiwan, the top US diplomat in Taiwan, Raymond Greene, will retain his post, three sources told Reuters, even as other US diplomatic postings undergo major reshuffles.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a question about Greene’s job status.


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Taiwan hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as mainland China continues to apply military pressure on the island


Taiwan hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as mainland China continues to apply military pressure on the island.
