TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The US could soon approve new arms sales to Taiwan once the Legislative Yuan passes its special defense budget, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver said recently.

Schriver, the chair of Virginia-based think tank Institute for Indo-Pacific Security, believed Washington would support more arms sales if the special budget was as large as Taiwanese officials have described, CNA reported. He said that it would make little sense for the Pentagon to urge Taiwan to raise defense spending to 10% of its GDP but refuse to approve arms sales. 

The US appears to be waiting for Taiwan to “put its money where its mouth is” by passing the special budget, Schriver said. He praised Taiwan’s commitment to boosting its defense budget and sustaining increases, but said he cares more about what Taiwan buys than how much it spends.

Commenting on President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) defense goals, Shriver said hardware is crucial to detecting and tracking threats from the air, including ballistic and cruise missiles. The key to optimized interception and response lies in software capabilities.

He added that much of this technology would come from major defense contractors and small and medium-sized defense tech firms. These companies, he said, must partner with Taiwan to make the projects successful.

Schriver said he has seen no indication that Taiwan would be abandoned or used as leverage. Taiwan is not something the US can trade away, he said.