Arsenal of Democracy: Taiwan and Europe’s Expanding Defense Technology Collaboration

In stark contrast to the discourse in the United States, there have been very few open conversations between Europe and Taiwan regarding defense spending or arms acquisitions. While the United States is actively exerting pressure on Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan (立法院) to pass a national defense budget that will incorporate a USD 11.1 billion arms package, European countries have retained a cautious, low-profile stance on the matter. This is likely due to the diplomatic and economic pressure that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has historically exerted on Europe’s middle powers. For example, in the 1980s, the PRC downgraded diplomatic relations with the Netherlands in response to the latter’s decision to sell two submarines to Taiwan. Reluctant to disrupt relations with such a large trading partner, the Dutch government solemnly agreed that it would refrain from further arms sales to Taiwan in the future. In 1991 and 1992, France sold six naval frigates and 60 Mirage jets to Taiwan. In retaliation, Beijing closed the French Consulate-General in Guangzhou and publicly urged France to withdraw from the sale. France has not sold Taipei any other major weapons systems since. As a result of Beijing’s coercion, three decades have passed since Europe supplied Taipei with any big-ticket defense items.Read More