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US lawmakers have in recent weeks repeatedly urged Taiwan to pass its NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget bill, the majority of which is allocated for US arms purchases. On April 21, the US Indo-Pacific Commander Samuel Paparo told senators during a committee hearing that Taiwan must show the resolve to defend itself, including with commitment to defense spending. He also stressed the importance of a US victory over Iran in the ongoing war to effectively deter a Chinese military attack on Taiwan.
As Taiwan’s special defense budget bill remains stalled at the legislature, the US Indo-Pacific Commander Samuel Paparo has warned Taiwan that it must show the resolve to defend itself, including with commitment to defense spending.
Samuel Paparo (April 21)
US Indo-Pacific Commander
We can’t want Taiwan’s defense more than they want it itself, and it’s not a chicken and the egg, because you’re not going to get chicken or eggs if you starve the chicken, so it’s very important for them to fund their own defense.
When asked whether a recent visit to China by KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun could affect Taiwan’s defense spending, Paparo answered that Taiwan’s decisions would speak for itself.
Samuel Paparo (April 21)
US Indo-Pacific Commander
I think the proof will be in the pudding. The passage of this special defense budget will tell us how committed they are. Taiwan’s polling is orders of magnitude above that, leading me to positively assert their willingness to defend themselves.
He added that a US victory over Iran would be effective in deterring China from launching a military attack on Taiwan. He also expressed confidence in the US outmatching China.
Samuel Paparo (April 21)
US Indo-Pacific Commander
And all things being equal, the mass deployment and employment of cheap, expendable munitions will favor defensive so long as we pursue it fully, with mass, with numbers, with sustainability and with AI tools that enable us to command it and outmatch our potential adversaries.
Paparo emphasized that Taiwan remains a sensitive flashpoint between the US and China, and that the US Indo-Pacific Command will continue to support Taiwan in a way that’s outlined in the Taiwan Relations Act.
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