The Trump administration is preparing to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan beyond first-term levels, with new packages designed to boost the island’s defenses amid growing Chinese military threats.

Two senior U.S. officials told Reuters that arms sales approvals over the next four years could “easily exceed” the $18.3 billion mark reached during Trump’s first term—far above the $8.4 billion approved under President Biden. The aim is to reinforce Taiwan’s deterrence capacity as China escalates pressure for reunification.

The weapons focus will be on cost-effective systems such as missiles, drones, and ammunition—tools that could help offset the size and scale of China’s military advantage.

Political Pressure on Taiwan’s Parliament

Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) wants to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP. However, opposition parties in parliament had previously cut the proposed defense budget. U.S. officials have directly urged Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) members not to obstruct defense funding, calling it “a Taiwanese survival question.”

Alexander Huang of the KMT acknowledged party support for increased budgets but insisted on retaining oversight and negotiation rights.

While Trump previously questioned Taiwan’s semiconductor policies and implied the island should pay for U.S. protection, officials now emphasize that both Trump and his team support stronger defense ties.

The Taiwanese presidential office stated its commitment to bolstering self-defense and “deepening security cooperation with the United States.” The defense ministry refrained from commenting on new arms packages.