US lawmaker tells Taiwan weapons are coming, China drills show deterrence need

27/5/2024 17:48

        A senior U.S. lawmaker visiting Taipei said on Monday that weapons Taiwan had ordered are finally on their way, and that China's "intimidating" war games last week underscored the need to boost the island's deterrence abilities.
        
        Taiwan has for the last two years complained of delays to deliveries of U.S. weapons, such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as manufacturers supply Ukraine to support its defence against Russia.
        
        Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who promised those weapons would be delivered when he visited Taiwan last year, said the Chinese military's "armada" last week had sent a very strong message to the United States.
        
        "We are moving forward on those weapons systems. I'd like to see it faster, but they are forthcoming," McCaul told reporters after meeting Taiwan President Lai Ching-te as head of a bipartisan delegation of five other U.S. lawmakers.