Taiwan frets as U.S. withholds weapons

Driving the news: President Trump's vacillation and acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao's insistence that the Iran war has forced a reevaluation of available munitions are sparking concern in Washington and throughout the global defense community.

• Meanwhile, thousands of people marched through Taipei last week advocating for greater investment in the domestic defense industry.
• That came after the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) managed to water down a budget proposal for additional weapons spending — a sign of how contentious this issue can be, even locally.

What they're saying: "The Chinese military ambition goes way beyond Taiwan," Chen Ming-chi, a deputy foreign affairs minister, told Axios over lunch at the island's ministry. "If you ask our Japanese friends, if you ask our friends in the Philippines, they also feel the China threat."

• After Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, met in Beijing this month, there was an outpouring of "statements reminding the administration of the importance of arms sales."
• "We have our priorities, and they have their delivery priorities," Chen added. "I think we can align this effort."

Zoom in: Washington has long armed Taipei over outside objections.

• Trump in December blessed an $11 billion arrangement.
• Previous deals have included F-16 fighter jets, AH-64D attack helicopters, Patriot air defenses and variants of the Altius drone.

Yes, but: There's a backlog. As of April, it stood shy of $30 billion, following the latest delivery of M1A2T Abrams tanks. Prior batches arrived in late 2024 and mid-2025, according to the Taiwan Security Monitor.

• "We are in close consultation with our American counterparts regarding prioritization. It's considering the U.S. need and its capacity," Chen said.
• "We all need to invest in the defense-industrial base," he added. "We have been enjoying the peace dividends for too long, and we forgot to invest."

What we're watching: Cheng Li-wun, the KMT chairwoman, is expected to visit Boston, New York and Washington next month, Focus Taiwan reported. She rendezvoused with Xi in April.

The bottom line: "If war occurs here, everything will be too late. The best is to not let war occur," François Chihchung Wu, another foreign affairs official, told Axios over the same lunch.

• "Your question concerns if this most-advanced American weapon is crucial or absolutely necessary for our defense. Yes. But it's not the only element," he said.
• "We are not as weak as the world imagines."

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Editor's note: This trip, attended by more than a dozen members of the media, was organized and partially funded by the Taiwanese government.