US defence contractors pledge deeper cooperation with Taiwan

A delegation of United States defence contractors and a former senior leader of the US Marine Corps have pledged the beginning of deeper cooperation with Taiwan.

Speaking at a public forum in Taiwan's capital Taipei on Wednesday, retired Lieutenant General Steven Rudder said the US wants to be part of the defence capabilities of Taiwan and improve the supply chain resilience of the island.

“For the Asia-Pacific, I would offer there’s not another more important area in the world to maintain peace,” Rudder said at the Taiwan-US Defence Industry Forum, an event co-hosted by a trade group from the US and another from Taiwan.

“So (when) you hear ‘a free and open Indo-Pacific,’ this is a small part of ensuring that shared vision remains intact.”

He emphasised how critical the island's position is for security, and said: "We want to be part of the self-defence capabilities of Taiwan."

“I’ll say it very simply: The endgame is joint interoperability,” Rudder said.

Ensuring Taiwan can defend itself

Taiwan has faced increasing pressure from China in the years since Tsai Ing-wen was elected president. China, which claims the island as its territory, has poached Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and sent military planes and ships toward the island on a near-daily basis.

It also held large-scale drills modelling a blockade and simulated strikes on important targets on the island twice within the past year.

Rudder, who was in charge of Marines operations in the Pacific, said the visit was within the US' multiple agreements with China and laws related to Taiwan, such as the Taiwan Relations Act, which requires Washington to ensure Taiwan can defend itself.

The legislation was enacted decades ago when the US administration first recognised China and broke off official diplomatic relations with Taipei. Washington is Taipei's largest unofficial partner and the supplier of a vast majority of Taiwan's defence purchases.

Although it's unclear whether the groups will sign specific deals, local media reported that the US was looking at cooperation in the production of certain products.

Part of that cooperation would be ensuring both sides can work together to use the weapons systems Taiwan bought alongside the island's existing self-produced defence capabilities.

A group of about 20 activists protested outside. “American warmongers are a scourge on Taiwan,” read one of the banners.

“They sell all sorts of outdated ammunition to Taiwan and make tens of billions of US dollars from Taiwan every year,” said David T. Chien, vice chair of the Blue Sky Action Alliance, which supports unification with China.