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Taiwan urges US to speed up weapons systems deliveries, boost defence supply chain
- At a US military conference, Taiwan’s vice-minister for defence says military self-reliance is urgent in the face of persistent threats from the PLA
- Hsu Yen-pu says integrating US-Taiwan defence industry supply chain will help island forces manage complete life cycles of weapons
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Lawrence Chungin Taipei
Taiwan’s vice-minister for defence, Hsu Yen-pu, has urged the United States to speed up weapons deliveries to meet a growing military threat from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
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Hsu also called on Washington to help the self-ruled island set up its own system to manage and support the complete life cycles of some of the US weapons it has bought.
Hsu made the appeal on Monday during the annual US-Taiwan Defence Industry Conference, a closed-door event held in the US state of Virginia.
On the sidelines of the conference, Hsu said that because Taiwan was an island, it was more important to be able to quickly acquire American weapons to strengthen its defence capabilities and military self-reliance in the face of persistent pressure from the PLA.
“Given the ongoing Russian-Ukraine war, Taiwan and the US have recognised the importance of speeding up the delivery of weapons systems to Taiwan to urgently beef up its defence capabilities,” Hsu was quoted as saying by the island’s semi-official Central News Agency.
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