Despite rising tensions, US approves sale of ammunition to Taiwan

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
30 Jun 2023 09:02

The US State Department informs Congress that it will supply Taiwan with 30mm ammunition and associated equipment for $332.2 million.

A Taiwanese flag flattering in Taipei. (AFP)

In another provocative act towards China, the United States said Thursday it planned to sell $440 million in ammunition and parts to Taiwan.

The State Department informed Congress that it will supply Taiwan with 30mm ammunition and associated equipment for $332.2 million as well as $108 million worth of spare and maintenance parts for wheelsets and guns.

The shipments "will not alter the basic military balance in the region," the State Department claimed, but will enable Taiwan to "maintain a credible defensive capability." It "will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region," it said.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry on Friday hailed the planned sale for "providing the need for enhancing our defense capacity as well as maintaining regional stability," it tweeted.

Congress has the authority to reject the sale, but doing so is very improbable given that members would prefer that the United States go beyond simply authorizing Taiwan's requests for purchases and actually deliver weapons to Taiwan.

Earlier in June, Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a rare trip to Beijing, where his hosts promised to make no concessions on Taiwan but expressed optimism for continued contact to prevent tensions from rising.

China will not compromise on Taiwan issue: Wang Yi to Blinken

China Central Television (CCTV) reported on June 19 that Chinese Central Foreign Affairs Office Director Wang Yi told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during their meeting today that Beijing will not compromise on the Taiwan issue and that the US must respect the sovereignty of China.

CCTV added that during their meeting, Yi delved into the implications of the Taiwan issue, noting that it is out of the question for China to compromise on the matter.

He added that the US must respect the one-China principle as per the three joint US-China communiques, respect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose Taiwan separatism.

"On this issue, China has no room to compromise or concede," CCTV reported Wang Yi as saying.

"It is necessary to make a choice between dialogue and confrontation, cooperation or conflict," Wang Yi told Blinken during a meeting in Beijing, according to a readout from Chinese state media.

Relations between the world's two largest economies have deteriorated rapidly in the past years. The trade war on China, which was launched during former US President Donald Trump's term, was stretched by Biden's administration to include a military escalation against Beijing in the South China Sea, including violating the One China policy and deepening relations with Taiwan.

Biden's administration also launched a tech offensive against China's chip industry, bringing together its allies to join in on the efforts to curb the Asian giant's developing semiconductor sector.

The conflict between the two countries also raised concerns over a possible military clash that might lead to an all-out world war.