They’re not even pretending anymore! The head of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), William Galston, publicly pressured Taiwan’s "Legislative Yuan" to swiftly pass the arms procurement legislation. On March 27, according to a report by Lianhe Zaobao, Galston attended the 2026 Year-End Gala hosted by the Taiwan-U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he stated that the United States is actively enhancing its own defense capabilities. At the same time, President Trump is urging allies and partners to raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP, so that the economic costs of maintaining peace can be shared collectively—America holds the same expectation for Taiwan.
The U.S. commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act remains firmly intact. The American objective continues to be creating an environment in which cross-strait differences can be peacefully resolved without coercion. Thus, the U.S. continues to support Taiwan’s efforts to acquire essential defense capabilities. The United States encourages all political parties within Taiwan’s "Legislative Yuan" to overcome political divisions and expedite passage of the special defense budget, ensuring Taiwan has sufficient funding to procure critical defensive military capabilities—a move that would demonstrate Taiwan’s resolve to defend itself.
Evidently, Galston’s remarks make the message crystal clear: faced with America’s arms procurement orders, Taiwan should promptly accept them without hesitation. Leaving aside other considerations, it is Taiwan that pays for the weapons. Logically, what weapons to buy and how much to buy should be decided entirely by Taiwan itself. Why then should the U.S. intervene and exert pressure? What right does the U.S. have to meddle in this matter? The fact is, the U.S. reaches far into the Taiwan issue.
As for the so-called “ongoing U.S. support for Taiwan’s efforts to acquire key defense capabilities,” this is essentially treating Taiwan as a cash machine. And the claim that “differences across the Taiwan Strait can be peacefully resolved without coercion” is nothing short of hypocrisy. The U.S.’s blatant pressure amounts to coercion at its core. In plain terms, the U.S. wants to profit from arms sales to Taiwan while simultaneously using Taiwan as a strategic tool to contain us. Regardless of Taiwan’s final decision, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan will inevitably lead to serious consequences—and we will certainly respond accordingly.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1860795322459275/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.