Trump administration’s plan to sell Taiwan a record $10 billion in weapons sparks angry response from China

Washington — The Trump administration has announced a massive arms sales package to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, prompting an angry response from Porcelain.

The State Department announced the sales Wednesday night during a nationally televised address by President Trump, who barely mentioned foreign policy issues and did not talk at all about China or Taiwan.

Tension between the United States and China, the world’s two largest economies, has waxed and waned during Trump’s second term, largely over trade and tariffs but also over China’s growing aggressiveness toward Taiwan, which Beijing has vowed to reunify with the mainland. President Xi Jinping has not ruled out the use of force to make it happen.

If approved by Congress, it would be the largest U.S. arms package to Taiwan, surpassing the total amount of $8.4 billion in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan during the Biden administration.

The eight arms sales deals announced Wednesday cover 82 high-mobility artillery rocket systems, or HIMARESand 420 army tactical missile systems, or ATACMS – similar to what the United States had been providing Ukraine during the Biden administration to defend against Russia – worth more than 4 billion dollars. 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 overhaul 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 “the national, economic, and security interests of the United States by supporting the recipient’s continued efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability“.

“The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and help maintain political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region,” the statements said.

China criticizes US-Taiwan arms deals, says they ‘will only end up being counterproductive’

China’s Foreign Ministry attacked the move, saying it would violate diplomatic agreements between China and the United States; seriously 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, wasting the people’s hard-earned money to buy weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

“This cannot save the doomed fate of ‘Taiwan independence’, but will only accelerate the advance of the Taiwan Strait towards a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war. The United States’ support for ‘Taiwan independence’ through arms will only end up being counterproductive. Using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed,” Guo added.

America’s role in Taiwan’s “self-defense capabilities”

Under federal law, the United States is obligated to assist Taiwan in its self-defense, a point that has become increasingly contentious with China, which has vowed to take Taiwan by force if necessary.

President Trump, in a exclusive interview with 60 Minutes Issued in early November, it said Chinese President Xi Jinping did not raise the Taiwan issue when the two leaders met in late October, but said Xi knew “the consequences” of taking military action against the island.

“He never brought it up. People were a little surprised by that,” Trump said. “But they understand what’s going to happen. He has openly said, and his people have openly said it in meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences.”

Asked by News themezone’ Norah O’Donnell if he would order US forces to defend Taiwan if Xi acted militarily on the island, Trump said: “I can’t give away my secrets.”

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry expressed in a statement Thursday its gratitude to the United States for the arms sale, which it said would help Taiwan maintain “sufficient self-defense capabilities” and provide strong deterrent capabilities. Strengthening Taiwan’s defense “is the basis for maintaining regional peace and stability,” the ministry said.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung similarly thanked the United States for its “long-term support for Taiwan’s regional security and self-defense capabilities,” which he said are key to deterring conflict in the Taiwan Strait, the body of water that separates Taiwan from mainland China.

The arms sales come as Taiwan’s government has pledged to increase defense spending to 3.3% of the island’s gross domestic product next year and reach 5% by 2030. The push came after Trump and the Pentagon called for Taiwan to spend up to 10% of its GDP on defense, a percentage well above what the United States or any of its major allies spend on defense. The demand has faced rejection from Taiwan’s opposition KMT party and some of its population.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te last month announced a special budget of $40 billion for weapons purchases, including the construction of an air defense system with high-level detection and interception capabilities called Taiwan Dome. The budget will be allocated over eight years, from 2026 to 2033.

The increase in US military assistance to Taiwan was anticipated in legislation adopted by Congress that Trump is expected to sign on Thursday. Last week, China’s embassy in Washington denounced the legislation, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, saying it unfairly targeted China as an aggressor. USA The Senate passed the bill on Wednesday..