TAIPEI, Taiwan: Taiwan expects continued U.S. support to strengthen its defense capabilities, despite delays in a major arms deal and shifts in Washington's political balance after the midterm elections.

Taiwanese Defense Minister Wellington Koo said on November 5 that support for Taiwan remained strong across both major U.S. political parties and that Congress would continue helping the island strengthen its military.

The United States is Taiwan's most important international supporter and weapons supplier, although the two sides lack formal diplomatic relations. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and strongly opposes American arms sales to the island.

In December 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump approved an arms package worth US$11 billion for Taiwan, the largest weapons sale ever agreed with the island. However, a second package estimated at around $14 billion has been delayed.

Following a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, Trump described the proposed arms package as a useful "bargaining chip" and said he was keeping it on hold.

China considers Taiwan its most sensitive diplomatic issue and has repeatedly demanded that Washington stop selling weapons to the island. However, U.S. law requires the American government to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

Taiwan's democratically elected government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and maintains that only the island's people have the right to decide their future.

Asked in Taipei's parliament whether the Democrats' victory in both houses of Congress in the midterm elections would affect the delayed $14 billion arms package, Koo said American support for Taiwan has traditionally crossed party lines.

He said Taiwan would continue discussions with members of Congress and stay in close contact with the U.S. Department of War to ensure arms deliveries proceeded as scheduled.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular office hours in Washington.

Chen Fang-yu, an associate professor at Taipei's Soochow University, said Democrats and Republicans broadly agreed on the importance of supporting Taiwan.

He added that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and his team would remain important in shaping American policy towards the Indo-Pacific and Asia. He expected Washington's wider regional strategy to remain largely unchanged despite the political developments.

In September, four Republican lawmakers urged the Trump administration to release more than $15 billion in delayed national security assistance for Taiwan. The amount included the proposed $14 billion arms package.

The lawmakers made their appeal ahead of Xi's expected visit to Washington.

Trump is expected to meet Xi at least twice more before the end of the year. The two leaders are scheduled to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China this month and the G20 summit in Florida in December.

Taiwanese officials have acknowledged that uncertainty over its approval could push the delayed arms package back to 2027.

Ronan Fu, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica, Taiwan's leading government-backed research institution, said the arms deal could be divided into several smaller packages if deliveries resumed, possibly next year.

He said the overall value of the weapons sales would likely remain broadly unchanged, even if the United States released the equipment in separate stages.

Taipei therefore expects the long-standing bipartisan support for its defense to continue, although the timing and structure of the delayed arms agreement remain uncertain.