Trump to send US$14 billion Taiwan arms package to Congress: McCaul

Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to submit a US$14 billion arms package for Taiwan to Congress soon, senior Republican lawmaker Michael McCaul said Tuesday, stressing that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan would not be affected by Washington's ties with Beijing.

McCaul, chairman emeritus of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, made the remarks after President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) awarded him the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon during a ceremony at the Presidential Office in Taipei.

"Last December, Congress signed off on the largest foreign military sales package in history at US$11 billion -- and we aren't stopping there," McCaul said.

That US$11.1 billion package for Taiwan included weapons such as HIMARS rocket systems, Javelin anti-tank missiles and loitering munitions.

"I am confident the president will forward soon another package to Congress with an additional $14 billion in critical military defense articles," he added.

The package McCaul referred to remains under review by the Trump administration, which has yet to formally notify Congress of the proposed sale. In an interview aired shortly after his May meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), Trump described it as a "very good negotiating chip" in dealings with Beijing.

McCaul said he wanted to "make it very clear" that U.S. policy does not allow diplomatic relations with China to "tie up arms sales to Taiwan."

The Texas congressman also cited former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who said after the passage of the Taiwan Relations Act that "the United States does not consult with the PRC (People's Republic of China) on arms sales to Taiwan."

McCaul said deterrence remained the "ultimate goal" and highlighted the importance of drone technology and production capacity based on what he observed during a recent visit to the battlefield in Ukraine.

He urged Taiwan to cooperate with democratic countries that have developed innovations in modern warfare and to continue strengthening its defense capabilities, resilience and cybersecurity.

In his remarks, Lai thanked McCaul for "always supporting Taiwan's efforts to strengthen its national defense capabilities," noting that the congressman had urged the U.S. administration to "accelerate the delivery of arms to Taiwan."

"Taiwan will continue to implement national defense reforms, strengthen asymmetric capabilities, establish drone combat and defense systems, and bolster whole-of-society defense resilience," Lai said.

He added that Taiwan looked forward to further strengthening cooperation with the U.S. and expanding it beyond arms procurement to joint development and co-production so the two sides could work together to safeguard peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

McCaul last visited Taiwan in May 2024, shortly after Lai took office. Earlier Tuesday, he also attended the 10th Ketagalan Forum in Taipei.