The US would not rule out jointly producing weapons with Taiwan, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said yesterday, adding that the nation’s defense needs were the top priority for US arms deliveries.
“The US is now working with a number of partners looking at possibilities of expanding our joint production of military supplies and I’ll not rule out Taiwan being one of those partners in the future,” Greene told reporters in Taipei without giving details.
Keeping a “strategic balance” in the region would foster cross-strait relations, he said.
Photo: CNA
China has stepped up military and political pressure against Taiwan in the past few years, and in May held war games around the nation following the inauguration of President William Lai (賴清德).
Greene took up the role in July. He was previously the deputy chief of mission at the US embassy in Tokyo.
He said that the US was also working with Taiwan to boost its response in dealing with emergencies, which is another top priority of Lai’s government, including reinforcing the nation’s resilience in communications, cybersecurity and energy supplies.
“We are looking forward to helping Taiwan apply its own expertise in dealing with [problems ranging from] natural disasters to countering potential manmade threats,” he added.
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GRAFT PROBE: Critics questioned Ko claiming he did not know about the Core Pacific floor area ratio issue until this year, citing a 2021 video in which he was asked about it Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released without bail early yesterday, while his deputy during his tenure as Taipei mayor was detained and held incommunicado after being questioned since Friday over graft allegations related to a shopping center redevelopment project. Prosecutors on Saturday filed a request with the Taipei District Court to officially detain Ko and former Taipei deputy mayor Pong Cheng-sheng (彭振聲) over allegations surrounding the redevelopment of Core Pacific City, also known as Living Mall (京華城購物中心). The court yesterday determined that the evidence provided by prosecutors was insufficient to justify the detention of Ko and ordered his