U.S. Senator expects future joint weapons production with Taiwan
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a leading advocate for Taiwan, said Saturday that future joint U.S.-Taiwanese weapons production is likely, a goal Taipei has long pursued.
Speaking at a news conference in Taipei, Wicker expressed optimism about cooperation on weapons, including drones. “I think there’s going to be joint production and joint efforts, and that will depend on the skills present both on this side of the Pacific Ocean and ours. We’re open to suggestion and innovation in that regard,” he said after a two-day visit where he met Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
A Taiwan official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said co-production of weapons is “very important.” Wicker is one of Congress’s strongest supporters of Taiwan, and Beijing criticized his visit, opposing official interactions between the U.S. and Taiwan.
Wicker’s trip comes amid broader trade tensions, including a 20% tariff on Taiwan’s exports to the U.S. under President Donald Trump’s trade policy. The senator emphasized that trade issues “in no way affect the defense alliance and friendship” between the U.S. and Taiwan.
China claims Taiwan as its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control, increasing military and political pressure on Taipei in recent years.
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