Taiwan Plans Multi-Billion Dollar Weapons Purchase from U.S.

TaiwanPlus News

Taiwan is hoping to buy billions of dollars' worth of arms from the U.S., reportedly to show the Trump administration that Taiwan is committed to its own defense.

Transcript

00:00The challenge of safeguarding contested waters.

00:03This video released by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence

00:06showing the country's military facing up to increasing Chinese activity in the Taiwan Strait.

00:12China claims this waterway and the rest of Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory

00:17and is threatening to take it by force.

00:20To counter this threat, Taiwan is arming itself,

00:30mainly with weapons from its biggest international backer, the United States.

00:35And now, according to news agency Reuters,

00:37Taipei is planning a new US$10 billion purchase

00:41including coastal defence cruise missiles and mobile rocket launcher systems.

00:51But the Ministry of National Defence's annual military threat

00:55is a plan to regulate our military force.

00:59And for the purpose of military force,

01:01we will purchase, sell and manufacture in three ways

01:05in order to save money.

01:07So purchasing is not the only way.

01:09Despite promising to boost defence spending,

01:12Taiwan President Lai Ching-de is under pressure to do more.

01:16New US President Donald Trump has accused Taiwan

01:19of taking its support for granted.

01:21So he's, Lai is trying to show himself in Taiwan

01:26as serious about Taiwan's defence,

01:28about willing to help out US industry

01:31and what he's trying to avoid is this image that he is a free rider on the US

01:37and that the US is just, you know, giving Taiwan benefits without anything in return.

01:42Lai is also facing a hostile political situation at home.

01:47Opposition parties have the majority in his country's legislature

01:50and have cut his government's budget.

01:52Meaning he will have to persuade his political adversaries

01:55if he is to make good on his commitment to Taiwan's self-defence.

02:00Karma Hsu and Rick Lowat for Taiwan Plus.

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