Taiwan is getting 'frustrated' by Biden's failure to provide promised weapons as China ramps up its military pressure and disinformation, top defense experts warn

Taiwan growing 'frustration' with the United States' ability to provide promised weapons is a 'serious' problem as China ramps up disinformation and military pressure say top defense experts. 

President and CEO of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute David Trulio spoke exclusively with DailyMail.com at the annual Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, last weekend.

Trulio recently led delegation to Taiwan with several defense and foreign relations experts. He said there were several main takeaways from the trip, but the first was that 'democracy is alive and well in Taiwan.'

'All the political parties are committed to keeping that very robust, vibrant democracy going,' ahead of the next election in January, he continued.

But Trulio described some 'frustration' with the United States' ability to 'provide the weapons that they have contracted,' which he says has 'serious implications for the defense industrial base.'

Trulio, who served in the Pentagon as the senior advisor and chief of staff to the under secretary of defense for policy, said that the U.S. defense industrial base is 'under pressure.'

That's due to the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, he said.

'But our inability to supply Taiwan when they've actually contracted for these weapons is a serious issue. So that's something that I think really needs to be into the national conversation, the broad health of the U.S. defense industrial base.'

Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia Heino Klinck, who also traveled to Taiwan on the delegation, echoed Trulio's concerns. 

'While always gracious and grateful for American support, Taiwanese interlocutors are beginning to express a growing sense of skepticism and concern about the US ability to deter aggression,' Klinck told DailyMail.com.

He cited the 'reckless withdrawal' from Afghanistan, 'piecemeal material support' for Ukraine and the inability to provide defense articles to Taiwan on time.

Klinck, who currently serves as co-chairman on the board of the National Bureau of Asian Research, says that the Biden administration's 'long list of national security woes' is also 'feeding' Chinese disinformation and misinformation campaigns.

Chinese propaganda is 'systematically sowing seeds of doubt about America's staying power in Taiwan and elsewhere,' he explained.

Trulio also mentioned the 'unrelenting pressure 'that the Chinese are putting on Taiwan economically and also through misinformation.

'And it's very ominous, it's unrelenting, and that's something that really has to be addressed,' he detailed, particularly before Taiwan's 'critical' upcoming election in January.

The Chinese use a 'whole portfolio' of pressure tactics including TikTok, but in particular economic coercion and also military pressure.

He said that China uses targeting sanctions or other economic pressure tactics to different parts of Taiwan even to influence voters there. 

Klinck also discussed examples of reports that China is 'pushing out' American vessels in the Taiwan Straight and in the South China Sea, which further deteriorates Taiwan's doubts about American strength.

But Trulio also said there was positive discussion on how Taiwan is on the path to increase its conscription from four months to one year.

'And I would say more broadly, societally, there seems to be a greater commitment and seriousness to ensure that Taiwan has not only the tools hardware wise, but also people to ensure that they're able to defend themselves about it over any potential Chinese aggression,' he added.

Congressional leaders revealed to DailyMail.com what they believe to the greatest threat currently facing the United States during the annual Reagan National Defense Forum.

China's aggression toward Taiwan topped the list, but other bad actors including Iran and Russia are a major concern, as well as the open southern border.

And the annual Reagan National Defense survey released last week which revealed that 51 percent of Americans think China is the 'greatest threat to the U.S.'