Taiwan Presses US on $14 Billion Arms Package

Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister said on Sept. 27 that Washington “very much” understands the island’s defense needs as Taipei waits for President Donald Trump to clear a pending Taiwan arms package worth about $14 billion after this week’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Speaking in Taipei, Chen Ming-chi pointed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s comments that military sales require careful consideration and argued that China’s continued military buildup, even amid economic strain, leaves the Taiwan Strait in a severe security situation. The package would follow a record $11 billion U.S. arms sale unveiled in December 2025.

Taiwan arms package still on hold after Trump-Xi talks

Trump said after meeting Xi in Beijing in May that he was keeping the latest arms sales package in abeyance. He did not announce a decision after the Washington summit, saying only on Sept. 26 that Xi understands his position on Taiwan. U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue told CNBC on Sept. 25 that there had been no change in Taiwan policy, including under the Taiwan Relations Act that commits Washington to provide Taiwan means to defend itself.

Chen said Taiwan continuously communicates with U.S. counterparts and believes Washington understands both the threat environment and Taipei’s determination to invest in its own defense. China rejects those sales and calls Taiwan a core interest and red line in U.S.-China relations—language reiterated in People’s Daily commentary after the summit.

Summit diplomacy versus Strait military reality

Xi used the Washington meetings to urge the United States to oppose “Taiwan independence” and handle the issue cautiously, a line Taipei denounced in statements covered previously when Taiwan pushed back on Xi’s independence framing for Trump. The broader summit context, including trade and UNGA choreography, was also tracked in The Boston Report’s Xi-Trump White House summit coverage.

Analysts note Trump may treat the $14 billion package as leverage while seeking Chinese cooperation on other wars, potentially delaying notification into late 2026. Lawmakers from both U.S. parties have urged approval, arguing delays embolden Beijing. Taipei insists only Taiwan’s people can decide their future and that President Lai Ching-te’s offers of talks have been rebuffed by Beijing, which labels him a separatist.

Defense investment and asymmetric deterrents

Chen’s message paired U.S. sales with Taiwan’s own spending. Taipei has been expanding indigenous strike systems and asymmetric capabilities designed to raise the cost of any blockade or invasion. That domestic track matters because even large foreign packages take years to deliver, and China’s rocket force and navy continue high-tempo activity around the Strait and the wider first island chain.

Regional military signaling is not limited to Taiwan’s east. China’s Scarborough Shoal training the same weekend and earlier protests over allied missile deployments show how Indo-Pacific flashpoints are interlocking. For semiconductor supply chains and U.S. strategy, keeping Taiwan’s defense credible remains a stated American interest—an argument Taiwanese diplomats repeated after the summit when stressing chips, freedom, and deterrence together.

What to watch before year-end

Key markers include whether the White House formally notifies Congress of the $14 billion sale, whether Xi-Trump follow-up meetings produce new Taiwan language, and whether PLA pressure operations intensify if a sale moves. For now, Taipei’s public line is reassurance without a timeline: U.S. policy is unchanged, the threat is understood, and the package remains a test of whether summit calm survives contact with arms-transfer politics.

Chen’s remarks and the package status were reported by The Straits Times citing Reuters, with additional analyst context from Focus Taiwan on possible delays tied to further Trump-Xi meetings. Broader political constraints inside Taiwan are surveyed in The Boston Report’s Taiwan politics and security overview.