The U.S. government approved the sale of approximately US$360 million worth of military arms to Taiwan on Tuesday, Eastern Time. In response to the sale, the Presidential Office and Defense Ministry expressed their sincere thanks to the Biden administration for their continued commitment to honoring the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances.
Taiwan purchased two types of drones, the 291 Altius-600M systems, and 720 Switchblade, which are capable of reconnaissance and immediate strike capabilities to quickly respond to enemy threats. This is the Biden administration’s 15th arms sale to Taiwan since taking office in 2021.
Presidential Office Spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) thanked the Biden administration for continuing to strengthen the U.S.-Taiwan cooperative partnership. Kuo said that the deal demonstrated the U.S.’s commitment both to peace in the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan’s security. Kuo emphasized Taiwan will continue to improve its self-defensive, asymmetric combat, and deterrence capabilities, in order to defend the core principles of democracy, a free constitutional system, and rules-based order.
The Defense Ministry Spokesperson Sun Li-fang (孫立方) also thanked the U.S., especially for speeding up the efficiency of such arms deals. Sun said based on previous experience, the deal would likely take a month to be fully passed and underway. The ministry thanked the U.S. government for their quick administrative review, acknowledging the efforts on both sides of the Taiwan-U.S. security management teams.
Kuo said that Taiwan will continue to deepen its ties with like-minded countries to ensure freedom and openness in the Indo-Pacific region, with the goal of continuing to contribute to global stability and prosperity.