Biden requests $1bln package plan for Taiwan military
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An estimated $1.1 billion in arms sales is requested by the Biden government for Taiwan, in an attempt to bolster the Taiwanese military amid tensions with China.
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US President Joe Biden (AP)
According to a Politico report published on Monday citing sources, the Biden administration intends to request an estimated $1.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan for the US Congress to approve, which consists of 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles, amid heightened tensions with China.
China carried out its largest military drills around the self-governed island after a visit this month by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, which raised global alarms and pushed Beijing to resort to the use of military security to bring the island under control. The significance of Pelosi's visit is that it came at a time of great tensions between the US and China over Taiwan - marking the first visit made by a US House Speaker to the Island since 1997.
Visits followed afterward when Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with a US Congress delegation consisting of five members and led by Democratic Senator Ed Markey of Massachusetts, 2 weeks after the Pelosi visit. The latest was by Tennessee Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn on a visit to Taiwan from August 25 to 27 for which a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson stated that the US legislator's visit to Taiwan violates the One-China policy and the provisions of the three China-US joint communiqués, as well as the US commitment to maintain only non-official ties with Taiwan.
The Taiwanese military also held another round of live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait after the Chinese army concluded its drills in the South China Sea in light of tensions with Taipei over US regional interference.
Reuters reported last week that Biden's administration, alongside US lawmakers, emphasizes their ongoing advocacy for the government in Taipei, and there are items on the waitlist for approval for the Taiwan agenda that could be announced in the coming weeks or months.
The focus, however, will be on maintaining Taiwan's current military structure and fulfilling existing orders, instead of offering new potentials more likely to agitate already existing tensions with China, as stated by three sources, who requested to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the matter.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Politico report.
This comes after Biden announced last Wednesday a newly instated $3 billion military assistance that will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and munitions, drones, and other equipment “to ensure it can continue to defend itself over the long term.”
