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Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Yen-pu has voiced Taiwan’s aspirations for increased American support in strengthening its defense mechanisms.

At the 2023 US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, Hsu emphasized that staying prepared is pivotal for sustaining peace and highlighted Taiwan’s commitment to enhancing its defense budget to ensure its sovereignty, democracy, and freedom. He conveyed gratitude towards the Biden Administration for recognizing and helping Taiwan’s defense requirements but emphasized the need to speed up the enhancement of Taiwan’s self-defense aptitudes, weaponry delivery timelines, and the protection of its supply chains.

Hsu shed light on Taiwan’s endeavors in promoting its self-reliance in defense over recent years, with a special emphasis on local defense systems. Nevertheless, he acknowledged the essential collaboration with global manufacturers for obtaining crucial subsystems and components. In his address, Hsu urged the US to aid Taiwan in achieving a degree of self-sufficiency throughout weaponry life cycles, promoting localized production, expediting military equipment delivery, and combining the defense industry supply chains of both countries. He asserted that such measures would reinforce Taiwan’s defense autonomy.

The US-Taiwan Defense Industry Conference, taking place from Oct. 1-3 in Williamsburg, Virginia, offers a platform to explore the future trajectory of US-Taiwan defense collaboration, procurement procedures, and Taiwan’s security requirements. Additionally, Democratic Progressive Party’s Taipei City Councilor, Vincent Chao, is participating in the event, discussing the progress and dynamics of Taiwan-US security collaborations and regional trends.

Chao is also set to converse with diplomats from 15 countries, predominantly from Europe, in Washington, DC, touching upon the forthcoming presidential election and its potential repercussions on Taiwan-US relations.