WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden administration has approved direct US military aid to Taiwan for the first time under an assistance programme aimed at foreign governments, officials said Wednesday, as concerns about China grow.
The State Department notified Congress on Tuesday of the $80 million package, which is small compared to recent sales to Taiwan but represents Taiwan’s first aid under a foreign military financing program that generally includes grants or loans to sovereign nations.
This move is sure to anger China. For five decades, only Beijing has been officially recognized by the United States, although Congress, under the Taiwan Relations Act, requires the supply of arms to the self-governing democracy for its defence.
Successive US administrations have performed these sales rather than direct aid to Taiwan, with formal statements depicting business transactions with the island’s de facto embassy in Washington.
The State Department insisted that the first aid under the program did not imply any recognition of Taiwan’s sovereignty.
“Consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act and our long-standing one-China policy, which has not changed, the United States is making available to Taiwan the defence items and services necessary for it to maintain an adequate self-defence capability,” a State Department spokesman stated.
“The United States has an enduring interest in peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, which is critical to regional and global security and prosperity.”
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense expressed gratitude. “The aid will contribute to regional peace and stability,” it said in a brief statement.
The State Department did not officially announce the aid or provide details, but a person familiar with the announcement said the aid will include support to improve maritime awareness.
The aid needs congressional approval, which is virtually certain because lawmakers from both parties broadly support Taiwan.
Representative Mike McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and a frequent critic of Biden’s foreign policy, praised the move.
“These weapons will not only help Taiwan and protect other democracies in the region but also strengthen the deterrence posture of the US and ensure our national security against an increasingly aggressive CCP,” he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
China and the United States have renewed dialogue in recent months, hoping to bring more stability to the turbulent relationship between the world’s largest developed and developing countries.
But Taiwan remains a clear sticking point, with Chinese officials repeatedly warning and the United States seen as determined to support the island’s formal independence.
China has conducted major military exercises three times in one year in response to Taiwan’s leaders’ interactions with the United States, raising the prospect that it is rehearsing moves to invade.
Senior U.S. officials have said they believe Chinese President Xi Jinping is taking steps to move away from the status quo on Taiwan, although U.S. analysts debate the extent to which Beijing will be deterred by both China’s recent economic concerns and Russia’s efforts to control Ukraine.
It is the second time in as many months that the Biden administration has broken new ground in support of Taiwan.
In July, Biden approved $345 million in military aid to Taiwan from remaining U.S. stockpiles, an example of which is one of the funds for U.S. support for Ukraine, which is fighting Russian forces.
Israel is the largest recipient of foreign military funding, amounting to more than $3 billion annually.
