US Defense Delegation Visits Taiwan to Promote Joint Defense R&D; Taiwan Strengthens Indigenous Weapon Systems to Counter CCP Pressure
Dozens of US defense industry executives are visiting Taiwan this week and will attend the "2026 US-Taiwan Defense Industry Forum" held in Taipei on May 28. This visit is seen as an important signal of the further upgrade of US-Taiwan defense industry cooperation in recent years, and has once again sparked external attention on Taiwan's independent weapon research and development and regional security landscape.
According to information released by the US-Taiwan Business Council, the delegation consists of 41 US defense industry executives and is led by retired General Charles Flynn, former commander of the US Army Pacific. During the visit, the delegation will meet with Taiwan government and security officials to discuss issues such as US arms sales to Taiwan, joint R&D, co-production, and strengthening supply chain cooperation.
The theme of the forum is "US-Taiwan Partnership: A Shared Vision for Defense Production and R&D." The two sides are expected to discuss directions such as unmanned systems, joint command and control, dual-use technologies, and logistics supply systems, and hope to promote joint innovation through supply chain integration.
Flynn stated that recent wars in Europe and the Middle East show that traditional military forces and asymmetric combat capabilities must be combined to effectively deter aggression. He emphasized that Taiwan must prepare in advance for potential cross-strait conflict and believes that the US and Taiwan need to establish a closer defense industry collaboration system as soon as possible.
In recent years, Taiwan has continued to promote "defense self-reliance," including expanding the drone industry, strengthening missile mass-production capabilities, and advancing the localization of naval vessels and air defense systems. Taiwan's independently developed "Teng Yun" drones, "Hsiung Feng" series anti-ship missiles, "Tien Kung" air defense missiles, and light naval vessel projects have all been regarded in recent years as important components of Taiwan's "asymmetric warfare" strategy.
Analysts believe that compared to long-term reliance on US arms sales, strengthening Taiwan's indigenous R&D capabilities has several significant implications: first, reducing the risks caused by external supply delays; second, enabling Taiwan to quickly adjust equipment based on its own geographical and tactical needs; and third, building long-term sustainable combat capabilities. The massive application of drones and distributed firepower in the Ukraine war has also further reinforced Taiwan's internal emphasis on "miniaturized, mobile, and low-cost weapon systems."
At the time of this forum, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) military continues to conduct high-intensity military activities around Taiwan. Taiwan's Ministry of Defense stated that over the past two days, a large number of PLA military aircraft and warships were continuously detected operating around the Taiwan Strait, with multiple sorties crossing the median line of the strait and entering Taiwan's air defense identification zone. The Liaoning aircraft carrier formation is still operating in the Western Pacific.
Taiwan's National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu stated that this is the second consecutive time the CCP has executed "joint combat readiness patrols" around Taiwan following the US-China leaders' Beijing summit. He criticized Beijing as the main source of instability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Meanwhile, US President Trump recently stated that he will soon decide on a US arms sales package to Taiwan totaling approximately 14 billion US dollars. Previously, reports indicated that some arms sales approvals were temporarily delayed within the US due to ammunition stockpiles and regional deployment issues, but the Pentagon subsequently emphasized that the US policy toward Taiwan has not changed.
Observers believe that the US-China summit has not eased cross-strait tensions and may instead accelerate security cooperation between the US and Taiwan. Against the current backdrop of the CCP continuously expanding military aircraft, warships, and gray-zone pressure operations, Taiwan's enhancement of its indigenous weapon R&D capabilities is not only a defense industry issue, but is gradually becoming an important strategic direction to maintain the deterrence balance in the Taiwan Strait.
Some Taiwanese security researchers believe that the future cross-strait security system may gradually form a cooperation model of "US technical support + Taiwan domestic mass production," enhancing Taiwan's defense resilience under long-term high-pressure environments through joint R&D, supply chain integration, and military-civilian science and technology integration.