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WASHINGTON/TAIPEI: US arms sales to Taiwan take years to process and are unrelated to the war with Iran, a source familiar with the matter said, after a senior US official suggested there was a pause due to the need to have enough arms for the conflict.
Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has been waiting for the US to approve an arms sale that could be worth up to $14 billion.
President Donald Trump sowed uncertainty in Taipei by saying, after meeting China’s President Xi Jinping this month, that he was undecided on whether to approve the package.
On Thursday, acting US Navy Secretary Hung Cao told a Senate Appropriations Defence Subcommittee hearing that there was a pause on arms sales to Taiwan to make sure the US had the munitions needed for the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran.
