Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the United States has approved a $330 million military sale of spare parts and components—the first such transfer since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Washington Remains Taiwan’s Most Important Security Partner
Washington is Taiwan’s largest arms supplier and a crucial pillar of deterrence against a potential Chinese attack. However, President Trump’s recent comments about Taiwan have raised doubts about his willingness to defend the democratic island.
Beijing maintains that Taiwan is part of its territory and regularly threatens to use force to place it under its control.
“This is the first time the new Trump administration has announced an arms sale to Taiwan,” the ministry stated after the US State Department approved the package.
Parts Requested for F-16s, C-130s, and IDF Fighters
According to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Taiwan requested “non-standard components, spare parts and repair items, consumables and accessories, as well as maintenance and support for F-16 fighter jets, C-130 transport aircraft, and IDF fighters.”
China Issues Sharp Protest
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “strongly opposes” the approval, which came roughly two weeks after President Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.
Taiwan Still Dependent on US Military Aid
Taiwan has its own defense industry, but in the event of conflict with China, the island’s armed forces would be significantly outmatched and remain heavily dependent on US weapons for self-defense.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said the sale would help maintain “combat readiness” and “strengthen defensive resilience” against China.
China Intensifies Pressure with Daily Military Activity
China almost daily deploys military aircraft and ships around Taiwan—maneuvers analysts describe as “gray-zone operations,” coercive actions that fall short of open warfare.
Although the United States is legally required to supply Taiwan with arms, Washington has long maintained “strategic ambiguity” on whether it would use its own military to defend the island in the event of a Chinese attack.
Taiwan Seeks Trump’s Favor with Higher Defense Spending
President Lai Ching-te has been working to strengthen ties with Trump, pledging to raise defense spending to more than 3 percent of GDP next year and up to 5 percent by 2030.
Lai has also promised to increase investment in the United States as his government works to reduce Trump’s 20 percent tariff on Taiwanese exports.
Opposition Pushes Back Against Massive Defense Budget
However, his government’s plans for a special defense budget of up to 1 trillion New Taiwan dollars (about $32 billion), including purchases of American weapons, may be blocked by the opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which controls parliament with support from the Taiwan People’s Party.
Opposition lawmakers voiced frustration over delays in billions of dollars' worth of US weapons shipments, caused by COVID-related supply chain disruptions and the diversion of US arms to Ukraine and Israel.
The KMT’s new chairman, Cheng Li-wen, who is friendly toward Beijing, recently told AFP that Taiwan cannot afford to increase defense spending beyond three percent of GDP, remarking: “Taiwan is not a cash machine.”
The newly approved sale is the first since December 2024, under former President Joe Biden.
Regional Tensions Rise Amid Japan–China Dispute
The decision comes amid a dispute between Beijing and Tokyo following remarks by Japan’s new hardline prime minister, Sanae Takaichi. She told parliament last week that an armed attack on Taiwan might require Japan to send troops in support of the island as part of “collective self-defense.”
Beijing condemned Takaichi’s statements, and China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that it would “in no way tolerate them.”
