Taiwan has always enjoyed cross-party support in the United States and Congress will continue to help strengthen Taipei's defence capabilities, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Thursday, November 5, when asked about arms sales following the US midterm elections, Reuters reported from Taipei.

Source: Reuters

Koo was speaking to reporters at Taiwan's parliament after Democrats won both houses of the US Congress in Tuesday's midterms. Asked whether there would be any changes to a stalled arms package worth some $14 billion — yaani about 1,400 crore US dollars — he pointed to strong support from both American parties.

Source: Reuters

"Congress has always been non-partisan" on Taiwan

"I think the US Congress has always been non-partisan and will support Taiwan in strengthening its defence capabilities," Koo said. "We will also continue to communicate with members of Congress, and of course we will maintain close contact with the US Department of War to ensure that these related arms sales proceed on schedule."

Source: Reuters

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside office hours in Washington, Reuters reported — so there is no American confirmation yet that the Democratic Congress changes anything about the package's timetable.

Source: Reuters

A package Trump called a "bargaining chip"

While Trump last December approved the $11 billion package, the largest sale ever, the second package worth some $14 billion has stalled. Following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, Trump called the package a good "bargaining chip" that he was holding in "abeyance", Reuters reported.

Source: Reuters

The stall is not new: in September, four of Trump's fellow Republicans called on his administration to release more than $15 billion in stalled national security assistance for Taiwan, ahead of Xi visiting the US capital. And in October, Koo told the same parliament he had not heard Washington planned to carve the $14 billion sale into smaller chunks, adding that US commitments to Taipei's defences had not changed and that Taiwan respects the US review process.

Source: Reuters via SRN News (Oct 6)

Why China watches every sale

The United States is Chinese-claimed Taiwan's most important international backer and weapons supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, and is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself. China regularly describes Taiwan as its most sensitive and important diplomatic issue and has repeatedly called for the arms sales to stop. Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.

Source: Reuters

What happens next

Koo's message is that a Democratic Congress does not, in Taipei's reading, weaken the legal and political basis for US arms sales — support has come from both parties for decades. The open question is the executive branch: the $14 billion package sits with an administration that has publicly treated it as leverage in its dealings with Xi, and nothing Koo said on Thursday changes that. Whether the new Congress pressures the White House to release it — as four Republican lawmakers already tried in September — is now the test of his confidence.