Taiwan-US Arms Deals
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REPORTER:
A US senator is urging Washington to catch up on a backlog of arms deliveries to Taiwan.
Pete Ricketts (US SENATOR):
We have to build up our defense industrial base. So for example, we're $30 billion behind on delivering arms to Taiwan. So we need to have the capability to be able to catch up on that.
Senator Pete Ricketts also said the US must make clear that it will not allow China to take Taiwan by force. His comments come as US-China tensions mount over AI and critical minerals. US president Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping are due to meet in Washington next week.
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US Arms Delivery
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REPORTER:
A US senator on Tuesday urged Washington to help Taiwan defend itself and warned against any unilateral change to the status quo, ahead of the upcoming Trump-Xi summit.
Pete Ricketts (US SENATOR):
One of the things, though, that we need to be thinking about is not just how many ships or planes can we field, but it's this competition in deterrence is also about military capability. We have to build up our defense industrial base. So for example, we're $30 billion behind on delivering arms to Taiwan. So we need to have the capability to be able to catch up on that.
Senator Pete Ricketts, who oversees Asia and cybersecurity policy, made the comments at a Hudson Institute event. He said the US and China are in a state of competition, and that Washington needs to make sure it isn't left vulnerable to China using critical mineral supply chains as leverage. He also noted President Trump approved $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan last year.
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