Taiwan seeking U.S. consent on payment deferral for HIMARS

Taipei, March 27 (CNA) The Ministry of National Defense has requested that the United States push back the payment deadline for additional high mobility artillery rocket systems (HIMARS) approved for sale to Taiwan, as funding bills for the systems remain in limbo, a defense official said Friday.

Earlier this month, the Legislature passed a motion authorizing the Cabinet to sign the letter of acceptance for the HIMARS before the March 26 signing deadline, but the ministry said it is now likely to miss the first payment on the system due on March 30.

The ministry's Department of Strategic Planning has requested the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency to push back the deadline, but there did not seem to be much flexibility on the date, Vice Defense Minister Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters on Friday.

Hsu indicated that the ministry has instructed the department to continue seeking U.S. approval for a delay but said that even if a deferral is granted, the ministry will still be unable to pay without the Legislature first passing a special defense budget bill.

The HIMARS system approved by the U.S. was valued at US$4.05 billion. Hsu did not disclose what percent of that amount would have to be paid in the first installment owed by March 30.

• U.S. envoy calls on Taiwan legislators to pass special defense budget

The Cabinet, the main opposition Kuomintang, and the smaller Taiwan People's Party each submitted a special defense budget bill to cover U.S.-approved arms sales, including the HIMARS, due to disagreement over the budget's scope.

The Cabinet's version called for the most funding at NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.1 billion), but the opposition felt it went too far above the US$11.1 billion of arms sales to Taiwan that the U.S. government has approved in December 2025.

The bills were sent to cross-caucus negotiations after lawmakers from the three parties on Thursday failed to reach a consensus on the scope of procurement and the size of the special budget at the Legislature's Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.

Hsu said the ministry is willing to listen to lawmakers' opinions on the special budget but reiterated that the Cabinet's version, planned by the ministry, was most reflective of Taiwan's comprehensive defense needs based on military developments in China.