The US is mulling a plan to team up with Taiwan to jointly produce weapons, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper claimed on Wednesday.
Discussions are reportedly already under way between the two nations to step up production capacity for US-designed arms and speed up their transfer as part of a move to bolster deterrents against China.
Options would include the US providing technology to produce weapons in Taiwan, or producing the weapons in the United States using Taiwanese parts, the Nikkei added.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that China would never renounce the right to use force over Taiwan, which it views as its own territory but that it would strive for a peaceful resolution.
Taiwan’s presidential office said earlier this week Taiwan would not back down on its sovereignty and would not compromise on freedom and democracy, but that meeting on the battlefield was not an option.
Tensions in the region remain high. On Tuesday, the Taiwan Defence Ministry said two Chinese air force planes crossed the Taiwan Strait median line.
- Reuters with additional editing by Sean O’Meara
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