The White House reportedly continues to push for the sale of advanced military equipment to Taiwan. The White House seeks to sell Taiwan the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned surveillance aircraft and a coastal defense missile system, Reuters reported Oct. 13, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.
Reuters previously (Oct. 12) cited five sources with knowledge of the matter as saying that the White House is pursuing three arms sales to Taiwan and has recently notified the foreign affairs committees of both houses of Congress.
Of the eight sources cited by Reuters, one told Reuters that the five arms sales to Taiwan totaled about $5 billion (about NT$144.6 billion). Data on U.S. foreign military sales often include training costs, spare parts, and fees, making it difficult to determine the exact value of the deals.
Previously, on September 16, Reuters, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter, reported that the U.S. government planned to sell seven weapons systems, including mines, shore-ship missiles, and drones, to Taiwan. Reuters reported at the time that it was rare for the U.S. to sell seven weapons to Taiwan at once, and that the U.S. government had previously tended to split the arms sale to cushion the impact on U.S.-China relations. And as President Trump’s administration has increased pressure on China, as many as seven major weapons systems are making their way through the U.S. export process.
Reuters reports that the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, now manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. was notified in advance to Congress on Oct. 13. This is the first notification since the Trump administration pushed for plans to sell more drones to more countries by reinterpreting an international arms control agreement called the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) is a multilateral export control regime established in April 1987. The goal of the regime is to regulate and control the export and proliferation of missile technology from participating countries. The original participants in the MTCR were the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, and Japan. There are currently 35 member states, not including China.
Reuters reported that the Boeing land-based Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile (LHAM) sale was also pre-notified to Congress on October 13. The land-based Harpoon anti-ship missile is a coastal defense cruise missile. About 100 cruise missiles notified to Capitol Hill would cost about $2 billion, one of the sources told Reuters.
Representatives of the U.S. State Department did not return a request for comment by Reuters time.
However, a Taiwanese government official said five military purchases are indeed in the pipeline.
The foreign affairs committees of the Senate and House of Representatives follow an informal approval process that gives them the authority to consider and block arms sales until the State Department formally notifies Congress.
Sources told Reuters that committee leaders were notified that the planned arms sales had been approved by the U.S. State Department, which oversees foreign military sales. The sources, however, did not wish to be named.
The three arms sales to Taiwan reported by Reuters on Oct. 12 included a vehicle-mounted multiple-launch rocket launcher made by Lockheed Martin called the High Mobility Rocket System (HIMARS), a long-range air-to-surface missile made by Boeing called the SLAM-ER, and an external sensor pod for F-16 fighter jets that transmits images and data in real time from the aircraft to a ground station.
China’s Foreign Ministry commented on the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan for two days in a row. Spokesman Zhao Lijian said on October 14 that “China has always firmly opposed the sale of weapons to Taiwan by the United States,” commenting on the sale of drones and other coastal defense equipment to Taiwan.
Beijing considers Taiwan to be a province of China and has repeatedly vowed to unify Taiwan under Chinese rule, using force if necessary. Washington views Taiwan as an important outpost of democracy, and the United States provides Taiwan with the means to defend itself under the Taiwan Relations Act.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Asia and the Pacific David Stilwell said in August of this year that, according to the relevant communiqué, “the United States’ willingness to agree to reduce arms sales to Taiwan is predicated solely on the People’s Republic of China’s commitment to an ongoing peaceful resolution of its differences with Taiwan. Moreover, it is important that the performance and quantity of U.S. arms supplies to Taiwan be determined solely by the threat posed by the PRC.”
Over the past few weeks, the Chinese military has significantly stepped up its military operations around Taiwan. Beijing has also recently publicly denied the existence of a median line in the Taiwan Strait that has actually been observed for decades.
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