The Ministry of National Defense (MND) yesterday rejected speculation that it might be planning to purchase arms worth US$5.2 billion from the US next year.
The ministry’s remarks came after American Institute in Taiwan Director Brent Christensen told a forum in Taipei on Saturday said that US arms sales to Taiwan this year amounted to US$11.8 billion and that US$5.2 billion in sales were planned for next year.
The sales are to help the nation develop asymmetric warfare capabilities, Christensen said in his speech, adding that arms sales to Taiwan have long been a bipartisan consensus in Washington and the US would fulfill its obligations under the US’ Taiwan Relations Act.
People familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the confusion stemmed from differences in budgeting cycles in Taiwan and the US.
In the US, a fiscal year begins on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30 the following year, they said.
For the fiscal year 2020, notified arms sales to Taiwan totaled US$11.8 billion, while for the fiscal year 2021, which began in last month, US$5.8 billion in arms sales have already been disclosed, they said, adding that all these sales have already been made public.
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