TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) responded Friday to recent reports of US pressure on Taiwan to increase defense spending and purchase more weapons.
Referencing a Nikkei Asia column published on Thursday suggesting the US was coercing Taiwan to buy more arms, Koo said he has never felt the US has forced Taiwan to acquire equipment unsuitable for its security needs. He emphasized that arms sales help maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait, benefiting both countries, per CNA.
Koo also addressed comments from US deputy secretary of defense nominee Elbridge Colby, who suggested Taiwan set its defense budget at 10% of GDP. Koo responded that his focus is on following President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) directive to meet the 3% of GDP goal in the near term.
He clarified that Taiwan’s financial health and security needs would guide this objective.
When pressed on whether a 10% defense budget target would become Taiwan’s goal and who determines defense spending, Koo confirmed that Lai, as the commander-in-chief, directs Taiwan’s military.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) echoed Koo’s stance during a Legislative Yuan questioning session, saying that Taiwan is not pressured by any foreign country to raise its defense spending, per Mirror Media. Cho explained that the only pressure comes from Chinese aggression, which drives Taiwan to strengthen its defense.
In an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Wu Chih-chung (吳志中) noted that raising Taiwan’s defense budget would likely lead to an increase in US-made arms purchases, as other foreign manufacturers are less willing to sell to Taiwan. He also reiterated Taiwan’s goal of strengthening its security relationship with the US, despite the absence of official diplomatic ties.
In addition to foreign arms procurement, Taiwan’s defense budget supports domestic arms research. The Nikkei Asia column said this raised concerns that prioritizing foreign weapons could undermine funding for domestic research.
It also questioned the sustainability of Taiwan’s defense spending, especially after the US decoupled weapons purchases from security guarantees, making it harder to garner public support.
Elisabeth Braw, senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, wrote in her Foreign Policy analysis on Tuesday that one reason for a worldwide preference for US-made weapons is the security guarantee associated with them. Braw pointed out that after the meeting between former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday, European countries might be less enthusiastic about US arms, given existing clauses allowing the sellers to dictate their use.
Braw speculated that this could explain the surge in stock prices of European arms manufacturers following the Trump-Zelensky meeting. For Taiwan, however, the situation may be more difficult, as Trump, unlike his successor Joe Biden, did not provide clarity on US support in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Trump declined to comment on how the US would respond to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, per Reuters.
