With Donald Trump back in office, Taiwan could see a surge in arms sales, given Trump's record of signing more weapons deals than any other U.S. president. We take a look at how Taiwan is planning to move forward in a changing global political environment.
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00:00With the latest arms sale now signed and Taiwan looking to work with the Trump administration
00:04What do you think Taiwan should be looking to accomplish?
00:06I think what is probably going through the minds of officials in Taipei right now is
00:12A question of how they balance these demands for an asymmetric
00:17Self-defense which is written in Taiwan's policy with the unknowns of the Trump administration, right?
00:23We don't really yet have clear indication of how Trump and team will approach arms sales to Taiwan
00:30We know that there is likely to be pressure that
00:33Taiwan increases its defense spending levels, but we don't know how that will actually trickle down and in day-to-day implementation
00:41So I think Taiwan is really at this critical juncture right now. Do they spend on asymmetric systems?
00:48That might be cheaper
00:50But might give them a better, you know assurance against the challenges and threats they face or do they crank the other direction and
00:57Start spending money on higher dollar in some cases capital and legacy systems that may or may not be
01:04The best systems for the threat they face but could help them take that requirement of showing they've invested more in their self-defense
01:12There's been a lot of criticism over Taiwan spending too much for weapons that might not survive in the event of a conflict
01:18But at the same time this new Trump administration is pushing Taiwan to spend more on this defense
01:23How do you think Taiwan should balance this?
01:25So I think one of the things that Taiwan might be considering is where can we make large dollar?
01:31investments to replace systems that are getting old and
01:35Things like the e2d if that's one example of where they have legacy
01:40Platforms that need to be updated and replaced and I think Taiwan, you know as it goes forward to try and make this
01:48presumed gesture of investment and symbolic paint down payment on its own self-defense on the back end of those
01:55Investments Taipei really has to have a clear plan for you know, e2ds or other systems
02:01Are they a peacetime capability?
02:03Are they a capability that's aimed at integrating with other regional militaries and and partners, you know
02:09Whether it's Japan or the Philippines or other neighboring countries or are they a wartime capability?
02:15So it really my recommendation is it's you know
02:18It's not thought about as just this like big dollar investment to show Trump that Taiwan is serious
02:24But that it's thought about as a comprehensive plan for how these systems will really bolster Taiwan's defense capabilities
02:32If you had to speculate what could we expect from the second Trump administration in terms of Taiwan's arms sales?
02:38The volume of arms sales under Trump to compared to Trump one is going to be calibrated frankly by the
02:44Capacity of the u.s. Defense Industrial Base, right? It's under tremendous pressure right now from Ukraine
02:52and so I think there's a big unknown here with how new sect F Higgs F is able to
02:58reinvigorate
02:59US investments in the defense industrial base and that will
03:03That ability to
03:05Bolster our own capabilities to build stuff in the States will trickle down to Taiwan as it will every partner
03:11And that said I do think there's a lot of potential for you know
03:16This positive trajectory of arms sales both in in quantity and quality to continue