US to give Taiwan US$345 million in arms aid over China’s protest
THE US will supply Taiwan with US$345 million in defence equipment, services and training, using the fast-track authority that it has relied on to speed arms to Ukraine.
The package will include “critical defensive stockpiles, multi domain awareness, anti-armour and air-defence capabilities”, said Lieutenant Colonel Martin Meiners, a Defense Department spokesperson.
The Biden administration has emphasised its longstanding commitment to support Taiwan’s self-defence. China, which claims the self-governed island as part of its territory, quickly criticised the decision.
“China is firmly opposed to US’ military ties with and arms sales to Taiwan,” said Chinese Embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu. Liu called on the US to “stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait”.
The weapons and support equipment will come from existing stockpiles under what is known as a Presidential Drawdown Authority. That lets the US sidestep the often-lengthy process of contracting and producing weapons, which lawmakers say has resulted in a US$19 billion backlog in armaments that have been approved, but not yet delivered to Taiwan.
Congress authorised President Joe Biden to use as much as US$1 billion in US inventory for the island democracy in the National Defense Authorization Act for the current year. Congress did not appropriate funds to replace the equipment, so the Pentagon will have to seek that money later.
BT in your inbox
Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.
Meiners said the Pentagon will not provide a timeline, but that the administration is “working expeditiously” to deliver the assistance.
“I am glad to see the Biden administration send this much-needed weapons package to Taiwan as Communist China eyes further aggression. However, this should have occurred much earlier and could have been more robust,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul said.
The Biden administration has sought to improve ties with Beijing in recent months, with a string of high-profile visits to China by Cabinet officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Meiners said the timing of the drawdown’s announcement, released in a brief statement on Friday (Jul 28) evening, was not influenced by Blinken or Yellen’s travel.
The Biden administration and its allies have grown increasingly concerned about the pace of China’s military modernisation and have warned that the country’s leaders want its armed forces to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines have said they do not see an effort by China to seize Taiwan by force as imminent. BLOOMBERG
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
