Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Monday he remained "cautiously optimistic" that arms transfers from Washington would continue, seeking to project calm after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled he would suspend approval of a weapons package worth approximately $14 billion.
Speaking to reporters at the Legislative Yuan, Koo said Taipei and Washington had maintained continuous dialogue on the matter, and that repeated U.S. assurances of an unchanged Taiwan policy provided grounds for measured confidence.
"The United States has consistently stated its Taiwan policy remains unchanged," Koo said. "We are continuing to communicate with the American side, and we remain cautiously optimistic."
Arms Sales Framed as Pillar of Strait Deterrence
Trump's decision to hold off on the sale came in the immediate aftermath of his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, raising questions about whether the pause reflected a broader recalibration of U.S. policy toward Taiwan. Koo pushed back against that reading, arguing that Washington's long-standing posture carried two distinct implications.
First, he said, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan — authorized under the Taiwan Relations Act — have historically functioned as the primary mechanism for preserving stability across the strait. Second, that stability itself constitutes a core American strategic interest, making the arms pipeline a tool Washington employs in its own right.
"Maintaining this arms sales channel serves U.S. interests," Koo said.
Taiwan Positions Itself as Status Quo Defender
Koo drew a sharp contrast between Taiwan's conduct and Beijing's, describing Taiwan as a "maintainer of the cross-strait status quo, not a provocateur," and pointing directly to China as the source of regional instability.
As evidence, he cited Chinese military activity earlier that day: the People's Liberation Army conducted joint combat readiness patrol exercises — a pattern Koo said illustrated repeated Chinese provocation designed to unsettle cross-strait peace.
Drone Procurement Funding Options Under Review
On a separate defense matter, Koo addressed political headwinds facing a proposed special legislative provision for drone procurement put forward by the Executive Yuan. Opposition caucuses have signaled they will not support the measure.
Koo said the government was not locked into a single funding pathway. Items not yet approved could be financed through a special provision, a supplementary budget, or absorbed into the regular annual budget cycle. The Ministry of National Defense is currently conducting a line-by-line review of individual procurement items to determine the most appropriate mechanism for each.
"These three options are all on the table," he said. A recommendation will be submitted to the Executive Yuan for final approval once the review is complete. （Related： Taiwan Kestrel II Rocket: NCSIST Unveils World’s 4th Indoor-Firing Anti-Armor Rocket – But Army Remains Skeptical ｜ Latest ）
