TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu (徐衍璞) urged the United States to integrate Taiwan into the US defense supply chain. 

Speaking at the 2024 US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference in Philadelphia on Monday (Sept. 23), Hsu advocated for Taiwan’s inclusion in the US defense supply chain, per CNA. He hoped the US would allow Taiwan to join countries such as Japan and Australia, that engage in joint or licensed weapons production.

Taiwan has faced significant delays in acquiring weapons it purchased from the US. The backlog of weapons awaiting delivery is worth US$20.5 billion (NT$656 billion), according to a report from the CATO Institute. 

Hsu said the delays were partly caused by US laws on technology transfers that involved bureaucratic hurdles. He hoped the US would consider revising regulations to simplify procedures and expedite deliveries.  

Hsu said including Taiwan in the defense supply chain would help the US quicken the development and export of weapons, such as F-16 jets and drones. He said the integration of Taiwan and US industries would be mutually beneficial.

Hsu underscored Taiwan as a reliable partner to the US. He pointed to Taiwan’s high-tech arms production capacity, manpower, occupational safety, and commitment to military information confidentiality. 

In addition, Hsu proposed a common operational picture to increase the compatibility of weapons systems between Taiwan and the US. For example, he said through data links, enemy targets detected by the US military could be transmitted to Taiwan's intelligence system for real-time monitoring.