Recently, European defense companies made a strong presence at Taiwan’s largest military exhibition, the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition, showcasing advanced weapons and aerospace technologies, attracting attention from media worldwide.
For a long time, Taiwan has primarily relied on the United States for military weaponry, with limited defense cooperation with European countries to avoid angering Beijing. However, the active participation of European defense companies at the Taiwan military exhibition indicates a gradual shift in their attitude towards the Taiwan market. Companies such as Airbus were among those exhibiting for the first time.
Reuters noted that the change in attitude of European defense industry towards the Taiwan market highlights the cautious but increasing support of European countries in assisting Taiwan to cope with China’s escalating military and diplomatic pressure. Especially after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many countries, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, have shown growing support for Taiwan.
During the exhibition, Taiwan’s Defense Minister, Gu Li Xiong, visited the Czech Republic’s exhibition area and met with Pavel Fischer, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Security Committee of the Czech Senate. Fischer remarked, “We have many partners in Taiwan and understand that due to the aggressive actions China has taken on the international stage, Taiwan’s situation is particularly complex.”
The German Trade Office in Taipei participated in the exhibition for the first time, stating their intention to showcase “Germany’s innovative achievements and industrial strength in the aerospace and security sectors.”
Similarly, Airbus, also making its debut appearance, exhibited a large Flexrotor tactical vertical takeoff and landing drone designed for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions lasting up to 14 hours. The drone bore the slogan “I Love Taiwan.”
Airbus stated that in addition to showcasing commercial aircraft at their booth, they also introduced a variety of products and services supporting search and rescue operations, emergency response, law enforcement, and secure communications.
Despite this, U.S. companies remained the main exhibitors at the event, including Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-16 fighter jet, the mainstay of the Taiwan Air Force.
In the past three decades, Europe has hardly supplied significant weapons to Taiwan. In the 1980s, the Netherlands sold two submarines to Taiwan, angering Beijing and causing a diplomatic rift that led the Dutch government to pledge not to sell weapons to Taiwan again.
In 1991, France sold six frigates to Taiwan and delivered 60 Mirage fighter jets the following year. However, France has not sold any other major weapons systems to Taiwan since then.
However, the UK continues to assist in building Taiwan’s first indigenous submarines.
Reuters analysis suggests that interactions between European countries and Taiwan are becoming more publicly active, no longer as cautious or discreet as before. Even under pressure from China, European countries maintain official interactions with Taiwan.
The 2025 Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition (TADTE) was held from September 18 to 20 at the Nangang Exhibition Center, with participation from 15 countries and 490 exhibitors, marking a growth of over 70% compared to the previous event, setting a new record for the largest exhibition in history.