Taiwan may see US arms deals fall through for first time because of legislative deadlock

Taiwan is at risk of missing out on three US-approved weapons packages for the first time because of delays to a stalled NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget in the legislature. The unprecedented situation has prompted Defence Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung to urge opposition lawmakers to give the budget emergency authorisation ahead of a March 15 deadline, when letters of offer and acceptance for three arms deals will expire. If the deals – to buy M109A7 self-propelled...

By Lawrence Chung