{"id":1824535,"date":"2026-03-13T11:52:05","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T08:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1824535"},"modified":"2026-03-13T11:52:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T08:52:05","slug":"taiwans-small-firms-pivot-to-defense-production","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1824535","title":{"rendered":"Taiwan&#8217;s small firms pivot to defense production"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76344896_6.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"sk6xmai\">\n<div class=\"content-area sa7l9jt s9mg977\">\n<section data-tracking-name=\"sharing-icons-inline\" class=\"c75t7t0 hh5424a in-line closed\">\n<div class=\"copy-button-wrapper closed\"><span class=\"svdcmki\">https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AKpp<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<figure class=\"s4bcs45\"><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76344896_800.webp 50w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76344896_801.webp 129w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76344896_802.webp 352w, https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76344896_803.webp 575w\" media=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 575px)\" height=\"100\" width=\"100\" \/><figcaption class=\"c1oedowi lofg86o m4xla6a s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">China had voiced opposition to the US arms sales to Taiwan [FILE: Taiwan parliament, Jan. 3, 2025]<small class=\"copyright c19ed66t ihwmx5 idu7i8u lxmvniw icns9en rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">Image: Jameson Wu\/IMAGO<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/taiwan\/t-66708568\">Taiwan&#8217;s<\/a> parliament on Friday approved four weapons deals\u00a0with the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/united-states-of-america\/t-19065189\">US<\/a>, giving the government the\u00a0green light to approve\u00a0the deal worth roughly\u00a0$9 billion (roughly \u20ac7.86 billion).<\/p>\n<p>The arms packages\u00a0are part of\u00a0an $11 billion arms deal announced by Washington in December.<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s reluctance to increase defense spending has raised concerns in Washington. The US remains\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-taiwan-reach-trade-deal-with-lower-tariffs\/a-75529792\">the Chinese-claimed island&#8217;s most important international backer<\/a> and arms supplier.<\/p>\n<h2>What kind of weapons were approved?<\/h2>\n<p>The weapons\u00a0include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>TOW anti-tank missiles<\/li>\n<li>M109A7 self-propelled howitzers<\/li>\n<li>Lockheed Martin-made Javelin missiles<\/li>\n<li>HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8220;This body \u200bupholds the principle of placing national security first and firmly defending territorial integrity,&#8221; parliament speaker Han Kuo-yu said, reading the resolution, which passed unanimously.<\/p>\n<p>Han urged the government to provide a delivery schedule so parliament can review it.<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s Defense Ministry had\u00a0warned\u00a0opposition parties that if the weapons deals with the US were not signed by Sunday, Taiwan would risk losing its place in the production and delivery queue.<\/p>\n<p>The Defense Ministry had defended the deals, saying they were prepared through a &#8220;rigorous project approval process&#8221; to meet the military&#8217;s requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 Taiwan's small firms pivot to defense production\" class=\"headline\">Taiwan&#8217;s small firms pivot to defense production<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-75236788\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"75236788\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75237282_605.webp\" data-duration=\"03:29\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/je\/je20251219_MILITARY08E_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<h2>Why has the package been so controversial?<\/h2>\n<p>Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had proposed a special $40 billion defense budget,\u00a0but the plan has\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-lawmakers-press-taiwan-to-boost-defense-spending-amid-china-threat\/a-75945362\">stalled in parliament<\/a>, which is\u00a0controlled by the opposition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers argue Lai&#8217;s proposals are\u00a0unclear and amount to signing\u00a0&#8220;blank checks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People&#8217;s Party (TPP) have introduced scaled-down alternative versions of the spending bill, with all three bills currently under review.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration has been pushing its allies to boost defense spending.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/china\/t-18480887\">China<\/a> has stepped up drills and exercises around Taiwan in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing claims Taiwan in its entirety as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to assert its claim.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 Taiwan simulates response to Chinese invasion\" class=\"headline\">Taiwan simulates response to Chinese invasion<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-75736216\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"75736216\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75722857_605.webp\" data-duration=\"02:48\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/je\/je20260130_qreadiness_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<p><em>Edited by: Roshni Majumdar<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div data-tracking-skip=\"true\" data-tracking-name=\"rich-text\" class=\"c17j8gzx rc0m0op r1ebneao s198y7xq rich-text l1evdo4u blt0baw s16w0xvi rcjjkz7 w128axg5 b1fzgn0z\">\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/taiwan\/t-66708568\">Taiwan&#8217;s<\/a> parliament on Friday approved four weapons deals\u00a0with the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/united-states-of-america\/t-19065189\">US<\/a>, giving the government the\u00a0green light to approve\u00a0the deal worth roughly\u00a0$9 billion (roughly \u20ac7.86 billion).<\/p>\n<p>The arms packages\u00a0are part of\u00a0an $11 billion arms deal announced by Washington in December.<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s reluctance to increase defense spending has raised concerns in Washington. The US remains\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-taiwan-reach-trade-deal-with-lower-tariffs\/a-75529792\">the Chinese-claimed island&#8217;s most important international backer<\/a> and arms supplier.<\/p>\n<h2>What kind of weapons were approved?<\/h2>\n<p>The weapons\u00a0include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>TOW anti-tank missiles<\/li>\n<li>M109A7 self-propelled howitzers<\/li>\n<li>Lockheed Martin-made Javelin missiles<\/li>\n<li>HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&#8220;This body \u200bupholds the principle of placing national security first and firmly defending territorial integrity,&#8221; parliament speaker Han Kuo-yu said, reading the resolution, which passed unanimously.<\/p>\n<p>Han urged the government to provide a delivery schedule so parliament can review it.<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s Defense Ministry had\u00a0warned\u00a0opposition parties that if the weapons deals with the US were not signed by Sunday, Taiwan would risk losing its place in the production and delivery queue.<\/p>\n<p>The Defense Ministry had defended the deals, saying they were prepared through a &#8220;rigorous project approval process&#8221; to meet the military&#8217;s requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 Taiwan's small firms pivot to defense production\" class=\"headline\">Taiwan&#8217;s small firms pivot to defense production<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-75236788\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"75236788\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75237282_605.webp\" data-duration=\"03:29\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/je\/je20251219_MILITARY08E_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<h2>Why has the package been so controversial?<\/h2>\n<p>Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had proposed a special $40 billion defense budget,\u00a0but the plan has\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-lawmakers-press-taiwan-to-boost-defense-spending-amid-china-threat\/a-75945362\">stalled in parliament<\/a>, which is\u00a0controlled by the opposition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers argue Lai&#8217;s proposals are\u00a0unclear and amount to signing\u00a0&#8220;blank checks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People&#8217;s Party (TPP) have introduced scaled-down alternative versions of the spending bill, with all three bills currently under review.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration has been pushing its allies to boost defense spending.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/china\/t-18480887\">China<\/a> has stepped up drills and exercises around Taiwan in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing claims Taiwan in its entirety as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to assert its claim.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"vjs-wrapper embed big\">\n<h2 aria-label=\"Embedded video \u2014 Taiwan simulates response to Chinese invasion\" class=\"headline\">Taiwan simulates response to Chinese invasion<\/h2>\n<p><video id=\"video-75736216\" controls playsinline preload=\"none\" poster=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-id=\"75736216\" data-posterurl=\"https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/75722857_605.webp\" data-duration=\"02:48\"><source src=\"https:\/\/hlsvod.dw.com\/i\/dwtv_video\/flv\/je\/je20260130_qreadiness_,AVC_480x270,AVC_512x288,AVC_640x360,AVC_960x540,AVC_1280x720,AVC_1920x1080,.mp4.csmil\/master.m3u8\" type=\"application\/x-mpegURL\" \/><\/video><\/div>\n<p><em>Edited by: Roshni Majumdar<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/taiwan\/t-66708568\">Taiwan&#8217;s<\/a> parliament on Friday approved four weapons deals\u00a0with the <a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/united-states-of-america\/t-19065189\">US<\/a>, giving the government the\u00a0green light to approve\u00a0the deal worth roughly\u00a0$9 billion (roughly \u20ac7.86 billion).<\/p>\n<p>The arms packages\u00a0are part of\u00a0an $11 billion arms deal announced by Washington in December.<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s reluctance to increase defense spending has raised concerns in Washington. The US remains\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-taiwan-reach-trade-deal-with-lower-tariffs\/a-75529792\">the Chinese-claimed island&#8217;s most important international backer<\/a> and arms supplier.<\/p>\n<p>The weapons\u00a0include:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This body \u200bupholds the principle of placing national security first and firmly defending territorial integrity,&#8221; parliament speaker Han Kuo-yu said, reading the resolution, which passed unanimously.<\/p>\n<p>Han urged the government to provide a delivery schedule so parliament can review it.<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s Defense Ministry had\u00a0warned\u00a0opposition parties that if the weapons deals with the US were not signed by Sunday, Taiwan would risk losing its place in the production and delivery queue.<\/p>\n<p>The Defense Ministry had defended the deals, saying they were prepared through a &#8220;rigorous project approval process&#8221; to meet the military&#8217;s requirements.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that <a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te had proposed a special $40 billion defense budget,\u00a0but the plan has\u00a0<a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/us-lawmakers-press-taiwan-to-boost-defense-spending-amid-china-threat\/a-75945362\">stalled in parliament<\/a>, which is\u00a0controlled by the opposition.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers argue Lai&#8217;s proposals are\u00a0unclear and amount to signing\u00a0&#8220;blank checks.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan&#8217;s Kuomintang (KMT) and the Taiwan People&#8217;s Party (TPP) have introduced scaled-down alternative versions of the spending bill, with all three bills currently under review.<\/p>\n<p>The Trump administration has been pushing its allies to boost defense spending.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"internal-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/china\/t-18480887\">China<\/a> has stepped up drills and exercises around Taiwan in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing claims Taiwan in its entirety as part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to assert its claim.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"vjs-no-js\">To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that <a href=\"https:\/\/videojs.com\/html5-video-support\/\" target=\"_blank\">supports HTML5 video<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Edited by: Roshni Majumdar<\/em><\/p>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.dw.com\/en\/taiwan-parliament-approves-major-arms-deal-with-us\/a-76345053&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76344896_6.jpg&#8221;] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5AKpp China had voiced opposition to the US arms sales to Taiwan [FILE: Taiwan parliament, Jan. 3, 2025]Image: Jameson Wu\/IMAGO Taiwan&#8217;s parliament on Friday approved four weapons deals\u00a0with the US, giving the government the\u00a0green light to approve\u00a0the deal worth roughly\u00a0$9 billion (roughly \u20ac7.86 billion). The arms packages\u00a0are part of\u00a0an $11 billion arms [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1824535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1824535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1824535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1824535\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1824535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1824535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1824535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}