US Authorities $11bn Weapons Deal For Taiwan

The United States has authorised the sale of weapons valued at $11 billion to Taiwan, Taipei announced on Thursday, describing it as one of the largest arms packages ever approved for the island and drawing a furious response from China.

Although Washington has traditionally been Taiwan’s main arms supplier, comments previously made by US President Donald Trump had raised questions about his commitment to defending the democratic island.

Taiwan has steadily increased defence spending over the last decade as China has intensified military pressure, while the Trump administration has urged Taipei to take greater responsibility for its own security.

The newly announced arms sale, which still requires approval from the US Congress, would be the second since Trump returned to office in January, following a $330 million sale of spare parts in November.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said the much larger package includes HIMARS rocket launchers, howitzers, anti-tank missiles, drones and other military hardware.

“This is the second arms sale to Taiwan announced during the Trump administration’s second term, once again demonstrating the US’s firm commitment to Taiwan’s security,” the foreign ministry said.

Beijing reacted sharply on Thursday, strongly condemning the announcement of the arms sale.

“China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle… and immediately stop the dangerous actions of arming Taiwan,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press conference, warning that Beijing would take “resolute and forceful measures” to defend its territorial integrity.

China claims Taiwan as part of its territory under the one-China principle and has repeatedly threatened to use force to bring the self-governed island under its control.

The scale of the proposed deal is comparable to the $18 billion arms package approved under former US president George W. Bush in 2001, although that agreement was later reduced after commercial negotiations.

During his eight years in office, Bush ultimately approved $15.6 billion worth of weapons sales to Taiwan.

Under Trump’s first term, the United States authorised $10 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, including $8 billion for fighter jets.

Given the strong bipartisan consensus in Washington on supporting Taiwan’s defence, the latest package is expected to receive rapid approval from Congress.

While Taiwan operates its own defence industry, it would be significantly outmatched in any conflict with China and therefore continues to rely heavily on US weapons.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said the latest deal shows Washington’s continued support for helping Taipei “rapidly building robust deterrence capabilities.”

President Lai Ching-te’s administration has pledged to raise defence spending to more than three percent of GDP next year and to five percent by 2030, following pressure from the United States.

The government also plans to seek up to NT$1 trillion in special funding to strengthen air defence systems and boost ammunition production and storage capacity.

These defence spending plans must still secure approval from Taiwan’s opposition-controlled parliament before they can be implemented.

China routinely sends military aircraft and naval vessels around Taiwan, operations analysts describe as “grey-zone” tactics designed to intimidate without triggering open conflict.

Taiwan’s defence ministry said 40 Chinese military aircraft — including fighter jets, helicopters and drones — along with eight naval vessels were detected around the island during a 24-hour period ending early Thursday.

According to Taipei, China’s third and newest aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday.