WASHINGTON (Transatlantic Today) — As tensions between the United States and China over the island’s status rise, the Biden government on Friday announced over $1 billion weapons sale to Taiwan.
According to the State Department, the $1.09 billion sale comprises $355 million for Harpoon air-to-sea missiles and $85 million for Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.
However, a $655 million logistical support package for Taiwan’s surveillance radar programme, which issues air defense alerts, makes up the majority of the deal. Because China has increased military exercises close to Taiwan, which it views as a rebel province, early warning air defense systems have grown increasingly crucial.
The weaponry, according to the State Department, is required for Taiwan to keep up a sufficient level of self-defense. Immediately following Friday’s business day’s end, the administration informed Congress of the sale.
The administration said that the agreements comply with the one-China policy of the US. It also encouraged Beijing to engage in substantive conversation with Taiwan rather than continuing its pressure upon Taiwan through economic, military, and diplomatic channels.
According to ABC NEWS, since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to the island last month, there has been a dramatic rise in hostility and heated language between China and the U.S. on Taiwan. Since Pelosi’s journey to Taipei, there have been at least 2 other congressional trips and several visits by American state governors, all of which have drawn criticism from China.
In an episode that highlighted the heightened tensions on Thursday, Taiwan’s army said it gunned down a drone flying over one of its island outposts close off the Chinese coast. A day earlier, Taiwan claimed to have sent a warning to drones overflying 3 of the islands it controls off the coast of Xiamen, a port city in China.
China declares Taiwan to be a part of its territory, which it may use force to acquire. After a civil war in 1949, the two sides fell apart and no longer have any formal connections. China even cut off informal communications after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen was elected in 2016 and expressed support for independence.
As part of a 12.9% rise in the yearly budget for the Defense Ministry for the next year, Tsai’s government has advocated for a bolstering of anti-drone defenses. This would result in an increase in defense expenditure of 47.5 billion NTD ($1.6 billion), for a total of 415.1 billion NTD ($13.8 billion).
The Taiwan Strait, which Beijing has claimed to be its sovereign territory, was crossed by 2 guided missile cruisers in retaliation to the United States’ description of Chinese maneuvers last month as a severe overreaction.
