Bond.az — U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are subject to multi-year administrative processing timelines and remain entirely separate from ongoing military operations in the Middle East, according to a source familiar with the matter reported exclusively by Reuters on Saturday.
The clarification follows congressional testimony suggesting a policy pause due to domestic munition requirements.
The approximately $14 billion pending defense package has faced heightened scrutiny after President Donald Trump indicated he remained undecided on its approval following a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping earlier this month.
Uncertainty intensified Thursday when Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao testified before a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing, stating that arms transfers to Taiwan were paused to ensure the U.S. military maintained adequate ammunition reserves for Operation Epic Fury attacks against Iran.
A source familiar with the situation pushed back against the testimony, asserting that the U.S. military maintains sufficient stockpiles to fulfill all strategic objectives and that the Taiwan sales are structurally unrelated to the conflict launched by the U.S. and Israel in February.
The political parameters governing the relationship remain anchored by the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which legally binds Washington to provide Taiwan with the defensive capabilities necessary to counter regional threats.
While Beijing has repeatedly demanded an immediate cessation of all bilateral military transfers, Taiwan’s government stated Friday it has received no official notifications regarding U.S. supply delays, reiterating its rejection of China’s sovereignty claims.
President Trump is expected to issue a formal determination regarding the multi-billion-dollar weapons package in the near term.
