US pushes Taiwan to boost defense spending amid China threat

A bipartisan group of 37 US lawmakers urged Taiwan's parliament to approve a proposed multi-billion-dollar defense spending package and warned that the threat from China has never been greater. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te proposed $40 billion in additional defense spending last year, but the proposal stalled in the opposition-led legislature. The US letter addressed parliamentary leaders including Han Kuo-yu, the KMT and the TPP and called for higher defense outlays aligned with Lai's proposal. The opposition offered a smaller defense plan funding only part of planned US arms purchases. The TPP emphasized democratic oversight and fiscal responsibility. Taiwan and the US also signed a trade agreement aimed at lowering tariffs and deepening semiconductor and AI cooperation, including capping US tariffs at 15% and granting US exporters preferential access to Taiwan's industrial and agricultural sectors.

"02/13/2026February 13, 2026 US lawmakers tell Taiwan's parliament threat from China "has never been greater." Meanwhile, Taipei inked a trade deal with the US to cut tariffs and deepen semiconductor and AI ties. A bipartisan group of 37 US lawmakers urged Taiwan's parliament to approve a proposed multi-billion dollar defense spending package, warning that the threat from China "has never been greater.""

""The threat posed by the People's Republic of China against Taiwan has never been greater. [Chinese President] Xi Jinping is focusing every element of the PRC's national power to control Taiwan," the letter warned, calling for a significant increase in Taiwan's defense spending. The opposition has forwarded its own smaller defense proposal, which included funding for only part of the planned US arms purchases."

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