US Announces $345m Military Aid package for Taiwan

By Staff, Agencies

The United States has announced $345m in military aid for Taiwan, ramping up support for the island that is claimed by China.

The package will include “defense articles”, military education and training, US President Joe Biden’s administration said in a statement on Friday.

The White House announcement did not elaborate on the weapons or equipment that would be provided, but media outlets citing unnamed officials said the supplies would include portable air defence systems, small arms munitions and reconnaissance equipment.

The announcement prompted a swift rebuke from Beijing, which has promised to “reunify” Taiwan with the Chinese mainland by force if necessary.

In a statement, Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said the US should stop selling arms to Taiwan and “stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait.”

Earlier this month, China conducted major military exercises around Taiwan for the second time this year, sending dozens of warships and planes close to the Taiwanese coastline.

Washington has approved billions of dollars of military aid for Taipei in recent years, including an $8bn deal to deliver 66 F-16 fighter jets by 2026.

Biden’s backing of Taiwan and the independence-leaning administration of Tsai Ing-wen has added to mounting tensions between Washington and Beijing, which has accused the US of turning the island into a “powder keg”.