US won’t rule out joint weapons production with Taiwan, diplomat says

The United States will not rule out the possibility of jointly producing weapons with Taiwan, its top diplomat in Taipei said on Wednesday, adding that the island’s defence needs were the top priority for U.S. arms deliveries.

The United States is Taiwan’s most important international supporter and arms supplier, despite the lack of formal ties with the Chinese-claimed island, and Raymond Greene, the newly appointed director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and de facto U.S. ambassador, was speaking to reporters in Taipei.

“The U.S. is now working with a number of partners looking at possibilities of expanding our joint production of military supplies, and I’ll not rule out Taiwan being one of those partners in the future,” Greene said without giving details.

He also said that keeping a “strategic balance” in the region would foster cross strait relations, in reference to China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory.

China has stepped up military and political pressure against democratically governed Taiwan in recent years, and in May held war games around the island following the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te, a man Beijing calls a “separatist”.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control, while Taiwan’s government has vowed to defend itself, rejecting Chinese sovereignty claims. Greene took up the role in July. He was previously the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Tokyo.