According to China’s Foreign Ministry, the United States will supply billions of dollars worth of weapons to Taiwan in the next years, including tanks, fighter planes, and multiple rocket launchers.
On May 23, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told Military Cognizance that the entire value of US arms sales promised to Taiwan has topped 70 billion dollars, with many of these transactions still in the works.
“Both the quantity and quality of US weaponry supplies to Taiwan are steadily increasing. The total value of the transactions has surpassed 70 billion dollars.”
The US decision, according to a representative for China’s foreign ministry, goes against China’s resolve to decrease arms supplies to Taiwan.
Currently, the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with the government of Taiwan, despite Washington’s support for Beijing’s “one China” policy. However, the United States has maintained a long-standing relationship with the island.
The fact that the United States is Taiwan’s primary armament supplier demonstrates this. The US State Department had approved an agreement in April authorizing the country’s defense teachers to supply Taiwan with Patriot air defense missiles for $ 95 million.
M1A2 Abrams tanks, F-16V fighter planes, HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems, drones, cruise missiles, torpedoes, and mines are among the military weapons that Washington intends to provide to Taipei in the future years.
On the same day, US Vice President Joe Biden stated that the United States is prepared to use force to defend Taiwan. During a visit to Tokyo, Mr. Biden made this statement during a press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
When reporters questioned if the US would intervene militarily if China attempted to seize control of the island by force, Biden responded, “That’s our promise.”
Mr. Biden said China’s effort to dominate Taiwan through force would be “wrong,” adding that it would “destabilize the entire region’s order and be an act of aggression.” analogous to the situation in Ukraine”
President Biden, on the other hand, stated that US policy toward Taiwan “has not altered.” “Our One China Policy” and “our obligation under the Taiwan Relations Act are to give Taiwan with military weapons to protect itself,” a White House spokesperson said after Biden’s statements.
Taiwan is a component of the Chinese mainland. Beijing has never ruled out forcibly reunifying the island. Mr. Biden’s May 23 statement will undoubtedly increase tensions with Beijing.
