The State Department authorized the possible sale of $265 million worth of military hardware to Taiwan, while US President Joe Biden agreed to give the island $571.3 million in defense assistance on Friday, according to the White House.
Despite Washington and Taipei’s lack of formal diplomatic ties, the United States is legally required to give Chinese-claimed Taiwan the tools it needs to defend itself, much to Beijing’s ongoing ire.
Taiwan, a democratic nation, rejects China’s claims to sovereignty.
China has increased military pressure on Taiwan, as evidenced by two rounds of war games this year and daily military exercises close to the island.
China reportedly gathered its largest naval force in thirty years in the East and South China Seas, as well as around Taiwan, last week, prompting Taiwan to go on alert.
Biden had given the secretary of state the power “to direct the drawdown of up to $571.3 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense and military education and training to provide assistance to Taiwan,” according to a statement released by the White House without giving specifics.
The defense ministry of Taiwan expressed gratitude to the United States for its “firm security guarantee” and said in a statement that the two countries would keep collaborating closely on security matters to maintain harmony across the Taiwan Strait.
Command, control, communications, and computer modernization equipment valued at approximately $265 million was approved for possible sale to Taiwan by the State Department, according to the Pentagon.
The equipment sale, according to Taiwan’s defense ministry, will aid in the modernization of its command-and-control systems.
Taiwan’s defense ministry also announced on Saturday that $30 million worth of 76 mm autocannon parts had been approved by the US government, enabling the island to better combat China’s “grey-zone” warfare.
