The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of $80 million in weapons and equipment to the island nation of Taiwan, infuriating Beijing, which has expressed strong objections to military ties between Washington, D.C., and Taipei.
“The U.S. government has approved an $80 million arms transfer to Taiwan under a program normally reserved for sovereign nations – a move likely to anger Beijing, which considers the island part of its own territory.
The State Department informed relevant lawmakers of the upcoming weapons sale on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press and Reuters, which obtained a copy of the congressional notification.
The transfer ‘will be used to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities through joint and combined defense capability and enhanced maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability’, the department said, without naming any particular systems.
Though prior deals with Taipei have been carried out under different export authorities, the latest transfer is slated to go through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program. Past FMF sales have largely been made to full-fledged nation-states, with the sole exception of the African Union, and language used in the new notification could imply sovereignty for Taiwan, a stance China is unlikely to accept.
Beijing views Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory, deeming it a province in rebellion while claiming the right to reunify with the territory by force should it declare independence. Washington does not openly recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state but has long maintained ties with the island, including billions in military sales over the decades.
However, while China is sure to oppose any suggestion of Taiwanese sovereignty, unnamed State Department officials told multiple outlets that the new sale does not reflect a shift in U.S. policy.
‘The United States has provided Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to Taiwan for years. FMF simply enables eligible partner nations to purchase U.S. defense articles, services, and training through either FMS or, for a limited number of countries, through the foreign military financing of direct commercial contracts (FMF/DCC) program’, two U.S. officials told the AP.
Though the State Department did not specify what weapons would be sent under the $80 million deal, it said the transfer could include ‘air and coastal defense systems, armored vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, drones, ballistic missile, and cyber defenses’ and communications gear, the AP reported, adding that funds may also be used to cover training for Taiwan’s military”. -RT
While China has increased military pressure on Taiwan in response to the growing U.S. military and diplomatic support for the island, considering how the United States hasn’t formally recognized Taiwanese sovereignty, the military transfer will likely be of no harm to Chinese security interests.
However, if both the U.S. and China get involved in a military conflict in the Taiwan Straits or the South China Sea, the Pentagon will need to beef up its Indo-Pacific alliances in order to combat China’s growing military and diplomatic influence across the region.