McCaul: US Arms Sales to Taiwan Won’t Be Dictated by Beijing, Says Forced Unification ‘Will Never Su

Former U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said the United States’ commitment to Taiwan’s defense remains unwavering despite growing pressure from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), declaring that China’s efforts to forcibly unify with Taiwan “will never succeed.”

Speaking at the Ketagalan Forum: 2026 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue in Taipei on Aug. 4, McCaul also expressed confidence that U.S. President Donald Trump would soon submit a proposed $14 billion arms package for Taiwan to Congress, while urging closer U.S.-Taiwan cooperation on drone technology and defense manufacturing to bolster the self-ruling island’s armed defenses.

The annual forum brought together lawmakers, former government officials, scholars, and security experts from nine countries to discuss democratic resilience, Indo-Pacific security, and supply chain cooperation.

RELATED: Satellite Images Reveal PLA Replicas of Taiwan, US, and Japanese Military Targets

New arms package expected

Opening his keynote speech in Mandarin with the words”I love Taiwan,” McCaul praised the island as proof that democracy can flourish in the Chinese-speaking world and said Congress has long been one of Taiwan’s strongest supporters.

For the best of our weekly content！

You are now signed up for our newsletter

Check your email to complete sign up

McCaul noted that despite Congress approving an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan last December under the Taiwan Relations Act, he believes another $14 billion package will soon be submitted for congressional approval to bolster the island’s defenses and ensure it is combat-ready.

McCaul also urged Taiwan to pass its annual defense budget, saying sustained investment is essential to strengthening self-defense capabilities and expanding the island’s drone industry. “The commitments made under the Taiwan Relations Act remain as strong today as ever,” he said, adding that the United States will continue providing Taiwan with defensive weapons to deter coercion or the use of force.

‘Peace through strength’

Though Taiwan operates as an independent nation since its establishment in 1949, Beijing views the island as a “breakaway province,” and has vowed to reclaim it by any means necessary, even if that means resorting to military force to achieve unification, which the CCP claims as “inevitable.”

McCaul stressed that U.S. arms sales to Taiwan are not subject to Beijing’s approval. “The United States’ policy will never allow our arms sales to Taiwan to be influenced by our diplomatic relationship with China,” he said, echoing former President Ronald Reagan’s longstanding position that Washington would “not agree to consult with the People’s Republic of China in advance on arms sales to Taiwan.”

While both Washington and Taipei seek to avoid a larger conflict, McCaul said the United States remains clear-eyed about what he described as the CCP’s long-term ambitions and reiterated the importance of maintaining “peace through strength.” He also recalled being personally targeted by Beijing after a previous visit to Taiwan. “They sent ships and aircraft to ‘welcome’ me and later sanctioned me,” he said, adding that he viewed the sanctions as “an honor for speaking out in defense of freedom.”

Building a US-Taiwan ‘drone hive’

Warning that Beijing continues to expand military pressure around Taiwan, McCaul called for greater cooperation between democratic allies and said Taiwan’s current level of defense preparedness is the strongest he has witnessed during his 22 years in Congress. He urged the United States and Taiwan to jointly develop drone technology and manufacturing to create what he described as a drone “hive” capable of strengthening deterrence and maintaining the island’s long-term security.

After recently visiting the front lines in Ukraine, McCaul said he had seen firsthand how decisive drones have become in modern warfare and encouraged Taiwan to deepen cooperation with democratic partners while continuing to strengthen its defense, resilience, and cybersecurity.

He added that deterrence remains the ultimate goal, noting that the House version of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act includes the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative, which would authorize up to $1 billion to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, including training, medical support, and joint development of unmanned systems with the United States.