Taiwan is exploring buying arms worth billions of dollars from the United States, sources briefed on the matter said, hoping to win support from the new Trump administration as China continues to apply military pressure on the island.
Three sources familiar with the situation, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, told Reuters that Taiwan is in talks with Washington.
The package is meant to demonstrate to the United States that Taiwan is committed to its defense, one of the sources said.
A second source said the package would include coastal defense cruise missiles and HIMARS rockets.
The geopolitical theater never disappoints. Taiwan’s proposed $8B arms deal with the U.S. is a desperate hedge against China’s relentless saber-rattling, but let’s not pretend this isn’t transactional patriotism. Trump’s tariff threats on semiconductors clash comically with his admin’s military posturing—a duality that reeks of profit-driven pragmatism, not principled alliances.
Removing the “no support for independence” phrasing from State Dept docs is a symbolic win for Taiwan, yet it’s empty calories without binding guarantees. Beijing’s “reunification” dogma remains unchanged, and Taiwan’s defense upgrades are just buying time before the next provocation.
The real tragedy? Taiwan’s semiconductor sovereignty is now a bargaining chip. Washington’s fixation on reshoring chip production undermines the island’s economic leverage, reducing its defense to a pawn in America’s tariff wars. Autonomy? More like managed decline.
Greene staying as top U.S. diplomat in Taipei offers continuity, but continuity in ambiguity. Democracy’s broken when survival hinges on parsing diplomatic fine print.