Summary

Taiwan is not able to accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions or attend any of the convention’s meetings due to its international status.

Taiwan states it has never used cluster munitions, but it has imported them. In September 2015, the Ministry of Defense clarified that Taiwan is not manufacturing two cluster munitions as previously reported by the Monitor. Taiwan has not disclosed information on the quantity or types of its stockpiled cluster munitions.

Policy

Due to its international status, Taiwan cannot accede to the Convention on Cluster Munitions.

In September 2011, the Legislative Yuan (Parliament) Research Bureau recommended that cluster munitions be incorporated into Taiwan’s Antipersonnel Landmines Regulations Act and proposed that the Ministry of National Defense destroy Taiwan’s stockpile of cluster munitions within eight years, which is the time period required by the Convention on Cluster Munitions.[1] The Ministry of National Defense opposed the recommendation and a spokesperson said, “Taiwan has to possess and stockpile cluster munitions to counter the military threat from China,” which has not joined the convention.[2]

In July 2008, the Ministry of National Defense stated that Taiwan could only ban cluster munitions if the convention gains universal support and all countries ban their use. It also said Taiwan needs cluster munitions to attack enemy ships and landing craft in waters close to Taiwan, and to attack enemy airfields.[3] CMC campaign member Eden International (formerly Eden Social Welfare Foundation) has translated and distributed copies of Cluster Munition Monitor reports during advocacy activities supporting the ban on cluster munitions.[4]

Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling

Taiwan has never used cluster munitions, but it produces cluster munitions and has imported them. Taiwan has not disclosed information on the quantity or types of its stockpiled cluster munitions.[5]

In July 2021, Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense wrote, “Upholding a humanitarian stance and abiding by international conventions, R.O.C Armed Forces has not purchased cluster munitions since 2013.”[6] In September 2015, Taiwan said that two types of weapons it has produced, which Cluster Munition Monitor has listed as cluster munitions in the past, are not cluster munitions. According to a September 2015 letter to Eden International, the Ministry of National Defense stated that neither the RT-2000 multiple launch rocket system or the Wan-Jian missile system have a cluster munition payload version.[7] In June and July 2016, a Defense ministry representative told Eden International that Taiwan decided not to produce a cluster munition variant of these weapons because the government wishes to abide by relevant international treaties.[8]

Previously the Monitor noted that the RT-2000 could reportedly utilize either unitary high-explosive warheads or cluster warheads containing M77 dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) submunition.[9] The Monitor also cited reports that each air-launched Wan-Jian missile carried 100–120 submunitions.[10] In July 2021, Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense wrote, “Taiwan has always complied with relevant international conventions, has never sold cluster munitions or missiles to foreign countries, does not plan to sell them in the future; nor has it ever publicly expressed to sell [sic] cluster munitions or related matters.”[11] The Minister also wrote that Taiwan did not produce any cluster munitions in calendar year 2020 or in early 2021.[12]

Taiwan has imported a large number of air-delivered cluster bombs from the United States (US) and is reported to possess CBU-24, CBU-49, CBU-52, CBU-58, CBU-71, and Rockeye cluster bombs.[13] Taiwan has also imported Hydra-70 air-to-surface unguided rocket system, but it is not known if the ammunition types available to it include the M261 Multi-Purpose Submunition rocket.[14] In 2011, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency issued a notification of a sale of 64 CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapons to Taiwan.[15]

The Taiwan government has spent NT$6 billion (some US$216 million)[16] in the disposal of expired bombs, including 292 tons of MK20 CBU-100 cluster bombs previously stored at Tainan Airport for use by the US and Taiwan air forces. The destruction was carried out by a Romanian firm. An additional 600 tons of cluster shells for Taiwan Army’s howitzers were stored at the Hhihkengwei ammunition depot in Longtan, Taoyuan, and are to be cleared from the list of weapons and equipment and destroyed.[17]

The Taiwan military removes cluster munition remnants from firing ranges by destroying them in-situ or elsewhere when possible. Six cluster munition weapons were removed in 2020.[18]