The Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, drawing an angry response from China.
The State Department announced the sales late Wednesday during a nationally televised address by President Donald Trump, who made scant mention of foreign policy issues and did not speak about China or Taiwan at all. US-Chinese tensions have ebbed and flowed during Trump´s second term, largely over trade and tariffs but also over China´s increasing aggressiveness toward Taiwan, which Beijing has said must reunify with the mainland.
If approved by Congress, it would be the largest-ever US weapons package to Taiwan, exceeding the total amount of $8.4 billion in US arms sales to Taiwan during the Biden administration.
The eight arms sales agreements announced Wednesday cover 82 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARS, and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS – similar to what the US had been providing Ukraine during the Biden administration to defend itself from Russia – worth more than $4 billion. They also include 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth more than $4 billion and drones valued at more than $1 billion.
Other sales in the package include military software valued at more than $1 billion, Javelin and TOW missiles worth more than $700 million, helicopter spare parts worth $96 million and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worth $91 million.
The eight sales agreements amount to $11.15 billion, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry.
The State Department said the sales serve “US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient´s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”
“The proposed sale(s) will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region,” the statements said.
China’s Foreign Ministry attacked the move, saying it would violate diplomatic agreements between China and the US; gravely harm China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity; and undermine regional stability.
“The `Taiwan independence´ forces on the island seek independence through force and resist reunification through force, squandering the hard-earned money of the people to purchase weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.
“This cannot save the doomed fate of `Taiwan independence´ but will only accelerate the push of the Taiwan Strait toward a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war.