The annual “U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference” began two days ago on Monday (October 5). At the conference, Taiwan is expected to present the U.S. with a list of its most urgent weapons needs for self-defense at a time when Beijing is increasing its military intimidation of Taiwan.
The “U.S.-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference” has been hosted by the U.S.-Taiwan Chamber of Commerce since 2002, alternating between the U.S. and Taiwan each year. This year, it was Taiwan’s turn to host the conference, but due to the neo-crowning epidemic, the conference was conducted via video link. The main purpose of the conference is to discuss U.S.-Taiwan industrial cooperation and exchanges in the defense industry, and although the unofficial nature of the conference has been repeatedly emphasized, it is still considered an important military exchange forum for the U.S. and Taiwan. Taiwan has used this conference in the past to convey to the U.S. side its list of weapons it wants to purchase from the United States.
The Taiwan side of the conference was represented by Vice Minister of Defense for Armaments Admiral Chang Kuan-chun, and participants included representatives of Taiwan’s political parties, legislators, and military industrialists. The AIT has not yet announced this year’s U.S. delegates, but sources say they should at least include AIT Chairman James Moriarty.)
According to the AIT, the two-day event will discuss defense cooperation between the two sides, defense procurement procedures, and Taiwan’s defense and national security needs, as well as provide networking opportunities for U.S. and Taiwanese defense and national security personnel.
Taiwan’s opposition chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Jiang Qichen, will also deliver his first speech at the conference in his capacity as party chairman, conveying the KMT’s views on the regional situation and key points of defense policy.
In his speech, Jiang will express the KMT’s strong support for closer U.S.-Taiwan relations, and will argue that U.S. arms sales are vital to Taiwan’s security, but that the KMT should also be highly concerned about whether the massive arms purchases from the U.S. will impact the DPP government’s current push for “national defense autonomy.
Tensions have been rising in the Taiwan Strait for the past two months. On the occasion of the visit of U.S. Secretary of Health Alex Azar and Deputy Secretary of State Keith Krach to Taiwan, China has expressed its displeasure with the extremely frequent military sorties to Taiwan. China views the sending of senior U.S. Cabinet officials to Taiwan as a high degree of provocation to Beijing.
In response, Beijing flew dozens of fighter jets to disrupt the flights to Taiwan. It is estimated that at least 37 Chinese military aircraft flew over the sensitive strait’s median line, which Chinese officials say does not exist. The frequent provocative activities of the CCP’s military aircraft against Taiwan have begun to make the Taiwanese public uneasy.
According to a poll released on September 28 by the Taiwan Public Opinion Foundation, a pro-green NGO in Taiwan, more than half of Taiwanese adults are basically happy to see the United States conduct a major arms sale to Taiwan, even if it costs a lot of money. This, the foundation said, reflects the sense of urgency Taiwanese people feel about their national security in the face of China’s often powerful military threats.
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