US Bill Calls for Joint Weapons Production With Taiwan Amid Increasing China Tensions

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The Armed Services Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives released the draft version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act on June 12, proposing the possibility of U.S.–Taiwan joint production of weapons to resolve delays in arms deliveries to Taiwan and to enhance the island’s ability to replenish weapon inventories.

The Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives requires the secretary of defense to submit a report by March 1 next year, evaluating the benefits and challenges of joint production of weapons and ammunition with Taiwan.

As early as October 2022, the United States and Taiwan began preliminary discussions on the joint production of weapons, possibly with U.S. defense companies providing technology and manufacturing weapons in Taiwan or assembling Taiwan-made weapon components in the United States, according to Nikkei Asia.

A U.S.-made F-16V fighter jet with its armaments is on display during an exercise at a military base in Chiayi, southern Taiwan, on Jan. 15, 2020. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

On May 2 this year, representatives of 25 U.S. arms manufacturers and dealers, including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, organized a delegation to Taiwan. According to the media, the purpose of the trip was to discuss the joint production of drones and missiles and other related matters.

Security Concerns

In April, Jordan Cohen, a defense and foreign policy analyst at the Cato Institute, told VOA about concerns over weapon co-production with international partners.

“Historically, there has been opposition in the U.S. government, both because this type of intelligence sharing puts secret information at risk, and because it reduces price offsets, which means the U.S. will see less of the profit re-enter its own economy,” Cohen said.

Randall Schriver, chairman of the board of the Project 2049 Institute and a former assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told VOA, “Co-production is a good idea to explore.”

He also said: “If the U.S. government is supportive, there’s still the issue of commercial interests. So, our defense industry has some say in this.”

Military personnel stand next to Harpoon A-84, anti-ship missiles, and AIM-120 and AIM-9 air-to-air missiles prepared for a weapon loading drills in front of a F16V fighter jet at the Hualien Airbase in Taiwan’s southeastern Hualien county on Aug. 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Johnson Lai)

Eric Gomez, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute with a research focus on the U.S. military budget and force posture, told VOA that China could easily steal sensitive U.S. information should the weapon co-production happen in Taiwan.

“I think it’s a good bet that China probably has intelligence assets in Taiwan that can gather information on a weapon system and get them back to China,” he said. “It’s relatively easy for movement between the two, it’s relatively easy to have that level of penetration because there’s a lot of similarities between the two.”

‘Better’ to Accelerate Weapon Sales

Jie Zhong, a researcher at the Chinese Strategic Foresight Association in Taiwan, told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on June 13 that the United States can’t establish a weapons production line in Taiwan in a matter of weeks.

He said it requires design, planning, production line establishment, personnel deployment, and other processes, adding that it’d be too late for emergencies.

“It is better for the United States to advance the order of arms sales to Taiwan to the same status as the main NATO allies through administrative measures and procedures, which can solve the current problems,” he said.

Taiwanese military expert Chen Guoming told RFA that in the event of a war in the Taiwan Strait, the timeliness of U.S. sea shipping or air transport would face challenges.

“[We] hope that in the newly planned ammunition depot that will be built, or under the authorization of the United States, some of the anti-ship missiles and land attack missiles that we need can be produced,” Chen said.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd and U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro conduct Taiwan Strait transits on Aug. 27, 2021. (U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters)

The bill also states that the United States should maintain its ability to resist any form of coercion that endangers Taiwan, including military threats. Congress supports Taiwan’s efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities through arms purchases, industrial cooperation, and direct commercial sales, the bill states.

According to the procedures, the Armed Services Committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives will propose their respective versions of the National Defense Authorization Act, and after consultations to seek consensus and approval, it will be submitted to President Joe Biden.

Meanwhile, it’s reported that Washington is drafting plans to potentially evacuate American citizens from Taiwan amid the escalated tensions between the United States and China and because of China’s increased aggression over the Taiwan Strait, according to The Messenger.

Experts have said that the Pentagon’s planning for an emergency evacuation of civilians from Taiwan indicates the Biden administration wants to be ready for a clash with China.