The United States Congress revealed its final version of the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Wednesday, which included provisions calling for training programs for Taiwan’s military. The conference report calls on the U.S. defense secretary to consult with Taiwanese authorities to “establish a comprehensive training, advising, and institutional capacity building program for the military forces of Taiwan”.
Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) answering questions from the media on Friday said that defense consultations between Taiwan and friendly countries have been constant and wide-ranging. He says such consultations have been helpful for all involved and significantly improve national defense.
Chiu was asked if any formalized military cooperation between Taiwan and the U.S. was in the works. Chiu says there are no plans for any such cooperation, and that there is no need to sensationalize the issue.
Chiu was also asked about the Chinese balloon that had been detected crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait the previous day. Chiu says the announcement of the balloon’s detection was routine, and that the balloon may be for meteorological purposes.