US senators visit Taiwan to push defence spending as arms deadlines loom

Members of a bipartisan delegation of US senators, including (from left) Thom Tillis, Jeanne Shaheen, John Curtis and Jacky Rosen, attend a press conference in Taipei, Taiwan on Monday.

Photo: Reuters Four senior US senators are on a two-day visit to Taiwan to press for legislative approval of a NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget proposed by the island’s government but stalled by the opposition as military pressure from Beijing intensifies.

The visit – seen as signalling growing frustration in Washington over the delays – comes as Taipei faces looming payment deadlines for several US-approved arms packages, with funding still unresolved due to the legislative impasse.

Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, who met the bipartisan delegation at his office on Monday, said the delays were driven by “political factors” but stressed that Taipei’s commitment to strengthening self-defence and deepening cooperation with the United States “has not changed in the slightest”. “The special budget is a comprehensive plan to rapidly enhance defence capabilities and respond to potential threats,” Lai said, urging lawmakers across party lines in Taiwan to support the proposal.

The visit, which runs until Tuesday, is jointly led by Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, and John Curtis, a Republican from Utah.

It also includes Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina and Jacky Rosen, a Democrat from Nevada.

Shaheen said the visit underscored the US Congress’ “strong and enduring commitment” to Taiwan, grounded in the Taiwan Relations Act and “decades of support for peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait”. “We recognise and welcome the steps Taiwan has taken to strengthen its defence and resilience – they are critical to sustaining deterrence,” she said.

Curtis, who lived in Taiwan as a young missionary, said the island’s security was “vital” to the United States and that efforts to boost defence spending were being closely watched in Washington. “When the United States is investing in security in this region, we want to ensure Taiwan is doing the same – that we move forward together,” he said.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Curtis explicitly endorsed the proposal. “I’d like to personally endorse the special defence budget and tell you that, back in Washington, my colleagues are watching – this is important,” he said.

Rosen reaffirmed the US commitment to peace and stabil

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