The Trump administration has approved one of its largest ever packages of arms sales – worth about $11 billion (£8.2 billion) – to Taiwan, drawing an angry response from China.
The proposed package, which still requires approval from the U.S. Congress, would exceed all arms sales to Taiwan made under President Joe Biden, which totalled more than $8.38 billion in 19 rounds.
It would also amount to more than half of the $18.3 billion in weapons sold to Taiwan during Donald Trump’s first term in office.
The package was announced by the U.S. State Department late Wednesday, coinciding with a nationally televised address by President Trump, who made scant reference to foreign policy and did not mention China or Taiwan.
The package features eight arms sales agreements, including 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems, worth more than $4 billion. These are similar to weapons provided to Ukraine during the Biden administration.
It also includes 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment valued at more than $4 billion, as well as Altius loitering drones worth more than $1 billion.
The extensive package will also 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 refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worth $91 million.
If approved, the package would mark a major infusion of military aid to the self-governed democratic island, which says it is preparing for an “imminent invasion” by China.
China considers Taiwan an inseparable part of its territory and insists the island of 23 million people must eventually be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taiwan through regular military drills in nearby waters and airspace.
The U.S. does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan but follows a policy of “strategic ambiguity,” under which Washington does not explicitly promise to defend the island while continuing to supply it with defensive weapons.
Taiwan’s defense ministry welcomed the package Thursday and thanked the U.S., saying that, if approved, it would help the island “rapidly build robust deterrence capabilities.”
“Taiwan’s bolstering of its defense is the foundation for maintaining regional peace and stability,” the ministry said.
The State Department said the sales serve “U.S. national, economic, and security interests” by supporting Taiwan’s efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability.
“The proposed sale(s) will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region,” it said.
The Chinese foreign ministry lashed out at the U.S. for the package that would “undermine regional stability” and said it would not “save the doomed fate of 'Taiwan independence'”.
The latest U.S. arms sales “will only hasten pushing Taiwan toward the perils of war,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, said at a regular news briefing in Beijing.
He added that the issue of Taiwan is a “red line that must not be crossed in China-U.S. relations.”
“The U.S. support for 'Taiwan Independence' through arms will only end up backfiring. Using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed," he added.
It comes ahead of Trump’s planned visit to China in April and the efforts by the leaders of the two countries to de-escalate the tensions that were ignited by Trump’s trade war on global economies.
It also coincides with Taiwan president Lai Ching-te’s efforts to push through an annual budget and an additional defence budget to increase defence spending by 3 per cent of the island's gross domestic product next year and to reach per cent by 2030.
The demand has faced pushback from Taiwan's opposition KMT party and some of its population.
Last month, the Taiwanese president announced a special $40 billion budget for arms purchases, including to build 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.
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