The newly announced $1.8 billion U.S. arms sale to Taiwan has caused repercussions on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan welcomed the announcement and promised not to engage in an arms race with Beijing. Beijing has warned that it will retaliate.
Taiwan’s presidential spokesman, Michael Chang, said Thursday (Oct. 22) that the U.S. government continues to take concrete actions based on the Taiwan Relations Act’s security commitments that incorporate the Six Assurances to help Taiwan strengthen its defense forces, and that Taipei welcomes and appreciates the U.S. assistance.
The U.S. government’s provision of defensive weapons to Taiwan will help Taiwan modernize its defense capabilities, while enhancing its asymmetric warfare capabilities and giving Taiwan greater capability and confidence in safeguarding peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region,” Mr. Chang added.
The U.S. State Department on Wednesday announced the approval of three military sales to Taiwan, including the Seamus high-mobility rocket system, the out-of-area precision missile SLAM-ER, and a new reconnaissance pod for F-16 fighter jets, worth about $1.8 billion.
In a statement released Wednesday, the State Department said the arms sale “supports the recipient’s efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defense capability, which is in the national, economic, and security interests of the United States.” “(The arms sale) will also help the recipient improve security conditions and help maintain political stability, as well as military balance and economic progress in the region.”
This is U.S. President Donald Trump’s eighth military sale to Taiwan during his term. However, Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) reported that the MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and shore-mounted harpoon anti-ship missile (CDCM), which had been the focus of much attention, were not on the list of arms sales.
However, Reuters reports that the planned sale of the General Atomics-built MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle and the Boeing land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile is still under congressional review.
Taiwan Defense Minister Yan Te-fa said Thursday that the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan shows the importance the U.S. side attaches to the security of the Indo-Pacific and the security of the Taiwan Strait, and that Taiwan will continue to consolidate the “security partnership” with the U.S. side to jointly maintain the stability of the Taiwan Strait and regional peace.
Taiwan will continue to consolidate its “security partnership” with the U.S. and work together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region. Yan emphasized that Taiwan will not engage in an arms race with the Chinese Communist Party, but will build weapons in accordance with the defense concept and demand of “heavy deterrence and solid defense.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has strongly responded to the U.S.-Taiwan arms sale. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian used four “serious” words in a row to express Beijing’s anger at Thursday’s regular press conference.
Zhao said the U.S. approach “seriously interferes in China’s internal affairs, seriously undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests, sends a serious wrong signal to Taiwan independence and separatist forces, and seriously undermines China-U.S. relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” and “China firmly opposes this.
Zhao Lijian also threatened that China will make “legitimate and necessary responses” according to the development of the situation.
In recent times, the Trump administration has strengthened its support for Taiwan by increasing arms sales to Taiwan and visits to Taiwan by senior officials. At the same time, U.S.-China bilateral relations have become more strained, with friction between the two countries over Taiwan, the South China Sea, Hong Kong, human rights, and trade issues becoming more intense.
The Chinese military has significantly increased its military pressure on Taiwan, constantly sending military aircraft and warships across the centerline of the Taiwan Strait to conduct close-in reconnaissance and other military activities against Taiwan.
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