Qiu Guozheng: The U.S. military reserve stockpile in Taiwan has a general direction | Ministry of National Defense | The Epoch Times

[The Epoch Times, April 24, 2024](Epoch Times reporters Wu Minzhou and Chen Ting reported from Taipei, Taiwan) The U.S. Congress passed a number of aid bills to Taiwan. Legislators are concerned about whether the U.S. military’s ammunition reserves in East Asia are placed in Taiwan. Defense Minister Qiu Guozheng On the 24th, he said that since the United States has shown goodwill and wants to provide equipment and services, these can be discussed with each other. Regarding the issue of whether U.S. military equipment should be stored in Taiwan, Qiu Guozheng replied that there is a general direction, but it is difficult to explain the progress.

The Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Judiciary and Legal Affairs Committee held a joint meeting on the 24th. Legislator Huang Ren was concerned that the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “Indo-Pacific Security Supplementary Appropriations” bill, which provides US$2 billion in military financing for Taiwan and important allies in the Indo-Pacific region. and US$1.9 billion to supplement defense supplies and services to Taiwan and regional partners.

Huang Ren said that the US$1.9 billion in military aid is actually a return of items that were originally provided to Taiwan and partners in the region. Therefore, the US$1.9 billion is not actually a new supply of arms items that Taiwan has not yet sent. He asked Qiu Guozheng which projects Taiwan could request?

Qiu Guozheng responded that this resource is divided into categories, and which ones are used for training and equipment. These can and should be discussed. Since the United States has shown goodwill, it has also reached an agreement with each other. The US also provides financing.

In addition, legislator Wang Dingyu said during questioning that Qiu Guozheng confirmed during the questioning in March last year that the United States and Taiwan were negotiating about the U.S. military’s East Asian arms inventory. This was to help U.S. allies and assist the U.S. military in providing other equipment when it arrived for local assistance. Necessary equipment.

Wang Dingyu said that the outside world interprets that if the US military’s East Asian arms inventory can be moved to Taiwan, it has two meanings. The first is that US military equipment is provided to the national army for use, and the other is that US personnel can use it when they come to Taiwan. Wang Dingyu asked if there is any new progress in the negotiations now?

Qiu Guozheng said that there are many definitions of the so-called “warehouse”. If a maintenance center is set up, the United States will naturally bring some equipment, such as spare parts. But because this kind of thing is a big deal, “Why should foreign equipment be placed in Taiwan?” It may cause political and cross-strait issues, so we need to be very cautious, and armaments and weapons are very different, so they are all proposals. , can be discussed.

Qiu Guozheng said that there is a big difference between “arms” and “munitions”. There is a proposal for these, which can be discussed. However, it is not convenient to discuss the progress of the projects and content in the Legislative Yuan in public. However, the progress of the Ministry of National Defense cannot be clearly stated. However, the minimum inventory plan has a general direction and will be directed in another direction. Legislator explained.

The United States confirmed that it sent 41 military personnel to Taiwan last year

The Congressional Research Service (CRS), a research agency under the U.S. Congress, submitted a “Report to Congress on Taiwan Defense Issues” to the U.S. Congress on the 19th. The report stated that “the United States supports Taiwan in deterring China’s use of force to control the Taiwan Islands.” Each Congress hopes to support Taiwan’s defense through arms and arms transfers.

The report said that although Taiwan has a professional and technically sophisticated military, it must face the asymmetric military power of the Chinese Communist Party. “Taiwan’s national defense reform has just started, and the military still faces difficulties in recruiting, maintaining, and training personnel. Some observers believe that Taiwan’s civilian population At the social level, it is still unclear how much the Taiwanese people are willing to bear in terms of economic, personal safety and life in the face of possible armed aggression by the Chinese Communist Party.”

Regarding the presence of the US military in Taiwan, the report stated that when the United States established diplomatic relations with Beijing on January 1, 1979, it stated that it would evacuate its remaining military personnel in Taiwan within four months. Since then, the US military has not stationed permanent military personnel in Taiwan. However, observers pointed out that it is an “open secret” that a small number of US military personnel work in an advisory capacity in Taiwan.

The report also mentioned that according to public data from the Pentagon, as of December 2023, there were 41 US military personnel stationed in Taiwan, but “excluding all personnel involved in temporary missions or deployed to support emergency operations.”

Editor in charge: Lu Meiqi