US approves record $11.1bn arms sale to Taiwan

The United States has approved $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, marking the largest weapons package ever authorised for the self-ruled island amid rising military pressure from China.

The announcement is the second Taiwan arms sale under President Donald Trump’s current administration and comes as Beijing intensifies both military activity and diplomatic pressure on Taipei, which rejects China’s sovereignty claims.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the proposed package includes eight items such as HIMARS rocket systems, howitzers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, Altius loitering munition drones and spare parts for existing equipment. It said the deal would help Taiwan strengthen its self-defence capabilities and enhance deterrence through asymmetric warfare.

The package is now at the congressional notification stage, where US lawmakers can review, block or modify the sale, though Taiwan policy enjoys broad bipartisan support in Congress.

In separate statements, the Pentagon said the arms sales support US national, economic and security interests by helping Taiwan modernise its military and maintain a credible defensive capability.

Taiwan has been restructuring its armed forces to focus on asymmetric warfare, relying on mobile and cost-effective weapons such as drones to counter a potential invasion. Presidential office spokesperson Karen Kuo said Taiwan would continue defence reforms and strengthen whole-of-society resilience, thanking Washington for its support.

Last month, President Lai Ching-te announced a $40 billion supplementary defence budget covering 2026 to 2033, saying national security was non-negotiable.

The announcement followed an unpublicised visit by Taiwan’s foreign minister, Lin Chia-lung, to the Washington area last week to meet US officials, according to sources cited by Reuters. Taiwan’s foreign ministry declined to comment on the meetings.

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond, but arms sales to Taiwan remain a major source of tension between Washington and Beijing. While the US has formal diplomatic relations with China, it maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan and is legally required to help the island defend itself.

US officials have previously said arms sales to Taiwan would increase under Trump’s second term as part of efforts to deter China. China continues to claim Taiwan as its territory, a position rejected by Taipei.