Taiwan indicates US won't dictate defence plans after business groups warn Washington is restricting arms sales

Taiwan has said it makes its own decisions about arms purchases and indicated it will not allow the US to dictate its plans to counter the growing military threat from mainland China.

The island's defence ministry made the comments after US business groups criticised Washington's policy on arms sales to the island, arguing that it was too restrictive and could not effectively deter an attack by the People's Liberation Army.

In a statement released on Wednesday responding to the claims, Taiwan's defence ministry said its arms purchases were chiefly based on the island's needs.

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"The military makes its own plans in acquiring various types of weapons and platforms based on the threats of the enemy and our joint operation planning," it said.

"Only when we are not able to develop and produce or form the combat force we need swiftly will we purchase them from abroad, and no individual weapons dealer can influence our plans."

On Tuesday a public letter by the US-Taiwan Business Council and the American Chamber of Commerce said the council had been told by US deputy assistant secretary of state Mira Resnick and her colleagues that the White House would no longer support arms sales for Taiwan outside their definition of "asymmetric" defence.

The groups said they understood that the administration would aim directly to deter Taiwan from seeking weapons that did not fit this approach, including anti-submarine helicopters and mobile artillery, and warned the new policy "appears to exclude" these "critical capabilities".

They warned: "We feel that the new arms sales policy misses critical aspects of complicating PRC calculations - which would require maximising Taiwan's capabilities across the entire spectrum of operations and at all phases of a potential conflict."

In April, Taiwan's air force said it had cancelled plans to upgrade five UH-60M Black Hawk anti-submarine helicopters to make them capable of nighttime search and rescue missions. It said it had also cancelled plans to buy five MH-60R Seahawks because they were too expensive.

Earlier this month, the defence ministry said it might have to consider buying alternatives for the M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzers as deliveries had been delayed due to a "crowded production line" following the war in Ukraine.

The upgrading of the helicopters and new purchase plans had been approved under Donald Trump in 2020. Trump also planned to approve the procurement of 40 155m howitzer systems before he stepped down, and it later became the first Taiwan arms deal approved by Joe Biden.

The letter said it was not clear if the administration would cancel programmes already notified to the US Congress or under contract. It also said the arms industry was waiting for a clearer definition of what the Biden administration considered "asymmetric".

Trump approved 11 batches of arms sales to Taiwan worth more than US$20 billion, including fighter jets, missiles and mobile artillery rocket systems.

Biden has so far approved two batches of weapon sales worth US$850 million, including howitzer systems and engineering services and field surveillance for Patriot anti-missile systems. He also signed a US$95 million deal in April for technical assistance for the Patriot systems in Taiwan.

Taiwan's defence ministry said arms sales from the US underscored Washington's commitment to the island's defence and said both sides agreed that asymmetric warfare "should be included in Taiwan's overall defence strategy".

However, it stressed that this referred to the "way [the war] is waged, not what particular weapons should be chosen".

Meanwhile, the US State Department said it strongly supported Taiwan's efforts to implement an asymmetric defence strategy.

"Continuing to pursue systems that will not meaningfully contribute to an effective defence strategy is inconsistent with the evolving security threat that Taiwan faces," a spokesman told Reuters.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, the chief of US naval operations Admiral Michael Gilday told a forum hosted by the Council for Foreign Relations think tank that it was important for the island to prepare for a potential PLA attack through acquiring the right weapons and proper training.

He said the Ukraine war "is a big lesson learned and a wake-up call, particularly with respect to not only having the right kit but are people trained to use it the right way".

Beijing, which considers Taiwan a breakaway province, has not renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. It has warned the US and other countries against helping defend or supplying arms for the self-ruled island.

Chieh Chung, a senior researcher at National Policy Foundation, a think tank affiliated to the Taiwan's main opposition party the Kuomintang, said the Biden administration was keen to have the island's military focus on the asymmetric warfare because it was concerned that a cross-strait conflict could start within the next five years.

"This explains why the US hopes Taiwan will be able to buy the kind of weapons that could allow it to form an asymmetric strike force before then," he said.

It would be difficult for the island's military to catch up with the PLA in terms of warships, fighter jets and other conventional weapons, so it would be as well to concentrate on different weapons and attacks, Chieh added.

"Despite the US insistence, the defence ministry must strive to adhere to its position in acquiring the weapons that can best suit our defensive needs," he said.

Last year, Philip Davidson, a former commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, warned that the PLA might try to take Taiwan by force by 2027.

Davidson, who is now retired and joined the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA's advisory committee on projects, said that while Xi Jinping is widely expected to stay in power after the five-yearly Communist Party congress this autumn, here may be a transition in 2027 - and this could be a factor in Xi's decision-making regarding Taiwan.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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