The Foreign Relations Committee of the U.S. released a joint letter signed by four senators addressed to the Speaker of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan Han Kuo-yu and lawmakers from all parties, on April 16.
The letter expressed the hope that Taiwan’s legislature would pass a special defense procurement act, and stated that the U.S. Congress would work to ensure the timely delivery of key military capabilities to Taiwan.
Political commentators analyzed that although the joint letter from the U.S. appears to be encouragement and reassurance, it in fact places Taiwan’s defense commitment under international scrutiny. The U.S. side is once again reminding that “it cannot be delayed any longer,” and urging the Legislative Yuan to seriously address this pressure.
US letter: confidence that ruling and opposition parties will reach consensus on arms procurement
According to Central News Agency, Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), ranking Democratic member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; John Curtis (R-UT); Thom Tillis (R-NC), co-chair of the “Taiwan Caucus”; and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) visited Taiwan at the end of March, where they met with Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu, Deputy Speaker Johnny Chiang, and lawmakers Chen Kuan-ting, Niu Hsu-ting, and Wang An-xiang.
On April 16, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee published the content of a joint letter from the four senators addressed to Legislative Yuan Speaker Han Kuo-yu, Deputy Speaker Johnny Chiang, and lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party, Kuomintang, and Taiwan People’s Party. The letter urged Taiwan’s ruling and opposition parties to pass the special defense procurement legislation as soon as possible, according to a statement by the Senators.
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The letter states: “After visiting Taipei and traveling to Tokyo and Seoul, the delegation is even more convinced that Taiwan must invest in key military capabilities to deter the People’s Republic of China from acting with impunity in aggression.” The delegation believes that leaders from all parties in Taipei will quickly reach consensus and guide Taiwan onto a path of safeguarding freedom, avoiding conflict, and reflecting the will of the vast majority of its people.
The letter also notes that in discussions with the Legislative Yuan, President Lai, and his national security team, the delegation observed a consistent request directed at Washington: that the United States should fulfill its commitments, including the delivery of pending major defensive arms sales before formal notification to the U.S. Congress.
These arms sales include anti-drone systems, integrated command-and-control systems, and medium-range equipment to enhance Taiwan’s air defense capabilities. “The U.S. Congress is fully committed to ensuring the timely delivery of key capabilities to Taiwan, and these pending arms sales are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.”
The letter further states that the delegation advocates expanding upon the $11 billion arms sales package to Taiwan announced in December last year, and calls for the Legislative Yuan to approve a supplementary defense budget. This funding would not only be used for purchasing equipment from the United States, but also to accelerate domestic production of asymmetric warfare capabilities.
The wars in Ukraine and Iran have demonstrated that modern warfare requires exactly the kind of low-cost, highly mobile systems currently being developed by Taiwan’s National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology.
The letter also states: “Beijing is attempting to test red lines through cross-strait military aggression and unilateral political united-front efforts. At this moment, nothing can better demonstrate firm resolve than Taiwan investing in long-term deterrence rooted in domestic production.”
The letter notes: “The partnership between the United States and the people of Taiwan remains rock-solid, built on shared democratic values, deep economic ties, and a commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. The U.S. Congress will continue to actively safeguard and responsibly promote this partnership, defending Taiwan against ongoing coercion from Beijing.”
According to Newtalk News, Kuomintang legislator Niu Hsu-ting, who received the letter, said that the defense procurement bill has entered the negotiation stage. The Ministry of National Defense will strengthen communication next week and hold a special report session, followed by further negotiations. All parties will review the proposal according to procedures. He added that the U.S. commitment expressed in the letter is a positive development that will help advance the defense procurement legislation.
‘It can no longer be delayed!’ Han Kuo-yu named
Political commentator Wu Jingyi said on the 17th that this is not the first time the U.S. Congress has directly applied pressure. In February, 37 bipartisan lawmakers jointly sent a letter; although this time only four senators signed, they carry greater weight as key members of the Foreign Relations Committee.
“They visited Taiwan at the end of March and inspected domestically developed weapons at the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. Shortly after returning to the U.S., they directly named Han Kuo-yu, demanding that Taiwan demonstrate its determination for self-defense and accelerate the passage of a special defense budget, so that the U.S. can speed up weapons delivery.”
She pointed out that the U.S. statement comes at a sensitive time—just before Trump’s expected visit to China and amid increasing Chinese military pressure—effectively sending a message to both Beijing and Taiwan’s domestic political scene.
The letter emphasizes that U.S. congressional support for Taiwan’s security remains firm, but that Washington is not simply selling weapons. It expects Taiwan to “be able to afford them, use them effectively, and develop them well on its own.” It specifically highlights that Taiwan should not only purchase U.S. equipment but also accelerate domestic production of asymmetric warfare capabilities, which is essential for building an effective “porcupine strategy.”
Wu Jingyi believes: “On the surface, this joint letter is encouragement and reassurance, but in reality it places Taiwan’s defense commitment under direct international scrutiny. Han Kuo-yu previously stated that the defense budget would be prioritized for review; now U.S. senators are once again reminding that ‘it cannot be delayed any longer.’ The Legislative Yuan truly needs to face this pressure seriously.”
By Li Jingyao
