Key facts
- Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo said US Congress has always been non-partisan and will support Taiwan's defense capabilities.
- Koo said Taipei will keep close contact with the US Department of War to keep arms sales on schedule.
- Trump approved $11 billion of arms for Taiwan in December 2025, the largest such sale, per the report.
- A second package worth about $14 billion has stalled, per the report.
- Trump called the stalled package a bargaining chip held in abeyance after meeting Xi Jinping in May.
- Four Republican lawmakers urged release of more than $15 billion in stalled security assistance in September, per the report.
Taiwan's defense minister, Wellington Koo, said the US Congress has always been non-partisan on Taiwan and would keep supporting the island's defense capabilities, when asked on November 5, 2026 about arms sales after the US midterm elections. He spoke to reporters at parliament in Taipei.
The $14 billion arms package has stalled. President Donald Trump approved $11 billion of arms for Taiwan in December 2025, the largest such sale, Reuters reported. After meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in May 2026, Trump described the second package as a good "bargaining chip" he was holding in "abeyance", according to the report.
"I think the US Congress has always been non-partisan and will support Taiwan in strengthening its defence capabilities," Koo said, adding that Taipei would keep communicating with members of Congress and maintain close contact with the US Department of War to keep the sales on schedule. The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment outside office hours in Washington.
In September 2026, four of Trump's fellow Republicans urged the administration to release more than $15 billion in stalled national security assistance for Taiwan, ahead of Xi's visit to Washington, Reuters reported.
The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer and weapons supplier, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties. China, which claims Taiwan, calls the issue its most sensitive diplomatic matter and has repeatedly called for the arms sales to stop. The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, the report said, and Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.