Taiwan parliament approves major arms deal with US
March 13, 2026
Taiwan's parliament on Friday approved four weapons deals with the US, giving the government the green light to approve the deal worth roughly $9 billion (roughly €7.86 billion).
The arms packages are part of an $11 billion arms deal announced by Washington in December.
Taiwan's reluctance to increase defense spending has raised concerns in Washington. The US remains the Chinese-claimed island's most important international backer and arms supplier.
What kind of weapons were approved?
The weapons include:
- TOW anti-tank missiles
- M109A7 self-propelled howitzers
- Lockheed Martin-made Javelin missiles
- HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems
"This body upholds the principle of placing national security first and firmly defending territorial integrity," parliament speaker Han Kuo-yu said, reading the resolution, which passed unanimously.
Han urged the government to provide a delivery schedule so parliament can review it.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry had warned opposition parties that if the weapons deals with the US were not signed by Sunday, Taiwan would risk losing its place in the production and delivery queue.
The Defense Ministry had defended the deals, saying they were prepared through a "rigorous project approval process" to meet the military's requirements.
Why has the package been so controversial?
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had proposed a special $40 billion defense budget, but the plan has stalled in parliament, which is controlled by the opposition.
Lawmakers argue Lai's proposals are unclear and amount to signing "blank checks."
Taiwan's Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) have introduced scaled-down alternative versions of the spending bill, with all three bills currently under review.
The Trump administration has been pushing its allies to boost defense spending.
China has stepped up drills and exercises around Taiwan in recent years.
Beijing claims Taiwan in its entirety as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to assert its claim.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar