Taiwan Defense Minister Highlights Deepening Military Cooperation with United States

Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo stated that military cooperation between Taiwan and the United States is close and occurs at all levels. In an interview with the CNA news agency, Koo noted that this cooperation is greater than the public imagines and credited the U.S. Pacific Command with improving the island's defensive combat capabilities. The United States serves as Taiwan's primary arms supplier and most important international backer despite a lack of formal diplomatic ties.

Koo emphasized that Washington views Taiwan as a key location within the first island chain, which serves as a strategic containment line against China. He referenced the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy, which promotes collective defense and shared responsibility, suggesting that increased military spending and self defense capabilities create a collective deterrence. According to Koo, this posture complicates the calculations for Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping regarding actions that would undermine peace in the strait.

Huang Wen-chi, head of the Department of Strategic Planning at the Ministry of Defense, added that while exchanges remain non public, the evolution of Taiwanese troop training over the last five years demonstrates the impact of real combat oriented training. These comments come ahead of the live fire phase of the Han Kuang exercises, which are annual drills designed to test readiness against a potential Chinese invasion. Beijing continues to claim Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force, while Washington maintains a position that has led to ongoing friction with China.