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 China continues to apply military pressure on the island.
Three sources familiar with the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters that Taiwan is in talks with the White House.
The package is meant to demonstrate to the U.S. that Taiwan is committed to its defense, one of the sources said.
A second source said the package would include coastal defense cruise missiles and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System rockets.
"I would be very surprised if it was less than $8 billion. Somewhere between $7 billion to $10 billion," the source added.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz has said he wants to speed delivery of weapons to Taiwan.
Taiwan's defense ministry declined to comment on specific purchases but said it is focused on building its defenses.
"Any weaponry and equipment that can achieve those goals for building the military are listed as targets for tender," it said.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan strongly objects to China’s sovereignty claims and said only the island’s people can decide their future.
Taiwan plans to propose a special defense budget that prioritizes precision ammunition, air-defense upgrades, command and control systems, equipment for the reserve forces and anti-drone technology, a third source familiar with the matter said.
During his first term, Trump established regular arms sales to Taiwan, including multibillion-dollar deals for F-16 fighter jets. The Biden administration continued these sales.
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 U.S. commitment to Taiwan, the top U.S. diplomat in Taiwan, Raymond Greene, will retain his post, three sources told Reuters, even as other U.S. diplomatic postings undergo major reshuffles.
A spokesperson for State Department said Greene remains director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the unofficial U.S. embassy in Taipei.
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