Taiwan's defense ministry says that the United States informed it that the delivery of artillery systems would be delayed.

In August of last year, the US administration of President Joe Biden endorsed the sale of arms to Taiwan. The plan included 40 self-propelled howitzer artillery systems and was due to be delivered by 2025.

Officials at Taiwan's defense ministry said on Monday the US told them the delivery be after 2026 at the earliest, because of snarled production lines.

An alternative plan now under consideration for Taiwan is to buy rocket launcher or other weapons systems instead.

Taiwanese officials say the self-propelled howitzer systems Taiwan plans to buy from the US provide better performance than those the Taiwanese military already owns.

It's not clear why the production lines were strained, but some Taiwanese media outlets, including the United Daily News, report that the US's weapons manufacturing capabilities have been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Others suspected that the Biden administration might have opted to sell more suitable weapons in view of the disparity in military power between Taiwan and China.