President Trump has suggested he would be open to discussing future U.S. arms sales to Taiwan with Xi Jinping. 

That statement was made as China stepped up military drills around Taiwan and as Taiwan’s main opposition leader arrived in Beijing on a self-described peace mission.

In light of that, today’s visualization shows the top 30 export destinations of U.S. military weapons in terms of trade value. 

The data comes from The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC), as of 2024. 

TL;DR

• In 2024, Romania emerged as the top buyer of U.S. military weapons with a trade value of $111.5 million.
• In 2025, South Korea surged to the top position, importing $221 million worth of U.S. military weapons, an increase of nearly 393% from its $44.8 million total in 2024.

While this explainer focuses on 2024 data, much recent data show that in 2025, America exported $952 million of military weapons. And, the main destinations were South Korea, India, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.

The main point remains that every country on the list now has a question about what American arms sales as a diplomatic negotiating tool means for their own security arrangements.

Romania Emerges as Top Buyer in 2024

In 2024, the largest importer of U.S. military weapons was not widely discussed conflict zones such as Ukraine or Israel. Instead, it was Romania, which imported $111.5 million worth of U.S. military weapons.

That’s more than double Ukraine’s $45.5 million and significantly higher than South Korea’s $44.8 million.

Romania’s position reflects its growing strategic role on NATO’s eastern flank. 

Bordering the Black Sea and sitting close to the conflict in Ukraine, Romania has been expanding its defense capacity amid heightened regional tensions.

Other major buyers in 2024 included:

• South Korea: $44.8 million
• Israel: $43.1 million
• Poland: $41.0 million
• Australia: $25.2 million
• Indonesia: $25.1 million
• Italy: $23.9 million
• United Kingdom: $22.3 million
• Egypt: $21.3 million

Together, these figures show a concentration of U.S. military exports among NATO allies and Indo-Pacific partners.

Taiwan’s Absence Raises Questions

One of the most consequential findings in the dataset is who is not on the list.

Taiwan, long considered one of the United States’ most important defense partners in Asia, does not appear among the top 30 destinations for U.S. military weapons exports in 2024.

That absence is striking given the legal commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which obligates the United States to provide Taiwan with defensive capabilities.

Analysts caution that the gap likely reflects how weapons are categorized. 

Many U.S. arms transfers to Taiwan occur through government-to-government programs or fall under different technical classifications that may not appear in the specific trade category used in the OEC dataset.

Still, Taiwan’s absence carries symbolic weight, especially as Trump signals willingness to treat future arms sales as a diplomatic bargaining topic.

South Korea Leads in 2025 Surge

By 2025, the center of U.S. weapons exports shifted geographically.

South Korea surged to the top position, importing $221 million worth of U.S. military weapons, an increase of nearly 393% from its $44.8 million total in 2024.

That jump coincides with heightened security concerns following closer military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.

Ukraine’s Figures Tell Only Part of the Story

Ukraine’s $45.5 million in 2024 and $70 million in 2025 represent only the commercial side of U.S. defense support.

The United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022, most of which flows through government channels rather than commercial exports.

This distinction is crucial for interpreting trade data accurately.

Arms Sales as Strategy

Taken together, the numbers reveal more than trade—they map global security priorities.

The shift from Romania as the top buyer in 2024 to South Korea in 2025 reflects a broader pivot from Europe toward the Indo-Pacific.

It also mirrors the U.S. strategic focus on countering China.

Against that backdrop, Trump’s suggestion that Taiwan arms sales could be discussed with Xi introduces uncertainty into a system built on reliability.

While it’s too early to tell how 2026 will shape out, OEC data shows that in January 2026 alone, America exported military weapons mostly to Egypt ($80.8 million), Chinese Taipei ($17.8 million), and Israel ($8.9 million). 

Source: 

OEC Trade Data | Exclusives from Reuters