“The US must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence,” Xi was quoted as saying. President William Lai speaks during a news conference on the Taiwan-US Economic Prosperity Partnership in Taipei on Tuesday. All cooperation programs will continue and will not change,” Lai said, adding that US commitments to Taiwan also remain unchanged. “The only concern that is going to impact the future of arms sales is our opposition parties’ attitude ... toward the defense budget,” Chen said. As the department and AIT have repeatedly stated, the US welcomes Taiwan’s announcement of the US$40 billion special defense budget, the official said.

Source: Taipei Times February 05, 2026 18:09 UTC