Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo on Thursday says the next arms sale package from the United States is on track after the government received a letter of guarantee from Washington, even as the U.S. and Chinese leaders prepare to meet in May.
A major U.S. arms package for Taiwan worth about $14 billion that includes advanced interceptor missiles is ready for U.S. President Donald Trump's approval and could be signed after his upcoming trip to China, Reuters reported this month, citing sources briefed on the discussion.
But Trump has postponed that trip, originally scheduled for early April, due to the Middle East war, and is now due in Beijing 14 and 15 May.
Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, is sure to be a topic, especially after Chinese President Xi Jinping told Trump in a call last month that the U.S. must "carefully" handle arms sales to the democratically-governed island.
Asked by reporters at Taiwan's parliament whether the Trump-Xi meeting would impact U.S. arms sales, Koo said the government had already received a letter of guarantee indicating the U.S. is willing to authorise the next deal.
"We have also been in close communication with the U.S. Department of War's Defense Security Cooperation Agency regarding its willingness to provide and sell this to us, including guidance concerning the items, the amount, and the transaction," he added, without offering details.
The package is still undergoing an internal U.S. review and Taiwan has not received any notification about delays, Koo said.
The U.S. State Department, which generally handles queries about government policy towards Taiwan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
China has repeatedly demanded Washington end arms sales to Taipei, the last of which in December was worth $11 billion, the largest ever for Taiwan.
Taiwan's opposition-dominated parliament is continuing to debate President Lai Ching-te's $40 billion in extra defence spending, though it has already authorised the government to sign U.S. agreements for four arms sales packages worth some $9 billion before the budget is passed.
Koo said the government was talking to the U.S. about possibly deferring payment or reducing the initial payment given he could not predict when parliament may approve the funds.
The U.S. is Taiwan's most important international backer and weapons supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, and is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Taiwan has faced stepped-up Chinese military pressure in recent years, including war games.
Nvidia has launched an independent investigation into whether its chief executive, Jensen Huang, was targeted in a foreign intelligence operat...
More than 700 primary healthcare facilities in Afghanistan have closed since 2025 following cuts to international aid, a senior UN official has war...
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on Monday as efforts to end the conflict with Iran stall...
Poland has declared two days of national mourning after a gunman opened fire in Kraków's historic main square. Investigators are examining possible far-right influences and the discovery of three bodies at the suspect's home.
Monday marks the second of two days of national mourning in Poland as police bolstered security after six people were killed in a mass shooting in Kraków.
The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles fired by the Iran-aligned group towards Riyadh on Sunday (8 November), after loud booms were heard in the Saudi capital. The Aramco building was damaged by falling debris.
Azerbaijan is marking the sixth anniversary of Victory Day on Sunday, 8 November, with President Ilham Aliyev visiting the Victory Monument in Khankendi, laying a wreath and paying tribute to servicemen killed during the 44-day Second Garabagh War in 2020.
The gunman who allegedly killed six people in Poland’s unprecedented mass shooting in central Kraków on Saturday has died in hospital, police said early Monday. The attacker had demonstrated advanced military-style marksmanship skills, according to a spokesperson for the shooting club he attended.
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to host Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on Monday as efforts to end the conflict with Iran stall, with Washington and Tehran still far apart on the terms of a possible agreement.
Pope Leo XIV has urged Argentina’s leaders to strengthen democracy, fight corruption and put people before economic interests in his first official address in the country.
A Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at Russia's second-largest oil refinery overnight, while Moscow reported strikes on Ukrainian power facilities and a Black Sea cargo vessel. The attacks came ahead of U.S.-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for the 9th of November 2026. From a spy investigation shaking Silicon Valley to rising geopolitical tensions, these are the five stories you need to know today.
A passport application might seem an ordinary administrative request. For Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh's ousted prime minister, it could mark the beginning of one of the country's most consequential political homecomings.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment