Taiwan Parliament Unanimously Authorizes $9B US Arms Deal Signing

Taiwan's legislature passed a unanimous resolution on March 13 authorizing the government to sign four US arms sale packages worth approximately $9 billion, including 82 HIMARS systems, TOW anti-tank missiles, M109A7 self-propelled howitzers, and Javelin missiles. Defense Minister Wellington Koo warned that the HIMARS letter of offer and acceptance would expire March 26, while the other three packages had a March 15 deadline. Failure to sign risked losing Taiwan's place in the US production queue. Parliament Speaker Han Kuo-yu cited 'national security first' as the governing principle behind the unanimous vote.