Taiwan Sees Bipartisan US Support as $14B Arms Package Stays on Hold

Curated by Vishaljeet Singh, Lisbon, Portugal
Updated: 5 November 2026, 9:43 PM IST

Taiwan expects continued bipartisan support in the United States for its defence, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Thursday, as the island seeks progress on a proposed US$14 billion arms package that remains stalled. Koo’s comments followed the US midterm elections, which gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress.

Speaking to reporters at Taiwan’s legislature in Taipei, Koo said Congress had consistently supported strengthening Taiwan’s defence capabilities. He said Taipei would keep communicating with lawmakers and the US Department of War to ensure arms sales proceed on schedule, Reuters reported.

A major arms package remains in abeyance

The stalled package is estimated at about US$14 billion. Reuters reported that President Donald Trump described it as a “bargaining chip” after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in May and said he was holding it in abeyance. Taiwan officials have said the package could be delayed until 2027.

Trump approved an earlier US$11 billion arms sale to Taiwan last December, described by Reuters as the largest such sale to the island. The status of the second package remains unresolved; Koo’s remarks expressed confidence in cross-party backing but did not announce an approval or delivery schedule.

Taiwan remains a sensitive issue in US–China ties

The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and weapons supplier, although Washington and Taipei do not maintain formal diplomatic relations. Beijing claims Taiwan as part of China and has repeatedly urged the United States to stop arms sales. Taiwan’s democratically elected government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim and says the island’s future should be decided by its people.

Analysts cited by Reuters said support for Taiwan remains strong among both Republicans and Democrats. In September, four Republican lawmakers urged the administration to release more than US$15 billion in stalled security assistance, including the proposed US$14 billion package.

Trump is expected to meet Xi at the APEC summit in China this month and again at the G20 summit in Florida in December. Those meetings could keep arms sales in the wider US–China diplomatic discussion. Taiwan-based researcher Ronan Fu told Reuters that, if sales resume, the package could be divided into smaller parts while remaining similar in total value.

For now, Koo’s statement signals Taipei’s expectation that legislative support will continue across party lines, while the administration’s decision on the larger package is still pending.

Source: Reuters report on Taiwan’s expectations for US arms-sale support.

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