China countered by lambasting the move, saying that it will only hinder relations and that “this cannot save the doomed fate of ‘Taiwan independence.’”
By Catholics for Catholics
President Donald Trump’s administration requested Congress on Wednesday to endorse an over an $11 billion arms package for Taiwan, in what would become a mammoth addition of military aid to the self-governing democratic island which has been fortifying for a long- dreaded invasion by China.
With a likely approval by Congress due to a firm bipartisan support for Taiwan, the package would surpass the $8.4 billion in arms sold to the Island during the Biden administration, according to figures recently compiled by the research arm of Britain’s House of Commons. And it would be comparable to more than half the $18.3 billion in arms sold to Taiwan during President Trump’s first term in office.
According to Newsmax, U.S.-Chinese tensions have oscillated during Trump’s second term, mostly over trade and tariffs but also due to China’s growing bellicosity toward Taiwan, which Beijing has said must reunify with the mainland.
The State Department said the sales serve “U.S. national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to 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,” the statements said.
But China’s Foreign Ministry blasted the move, saying it would violate diplomatic agreements between China and the U.S. and seriously hinder China’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and undermine regional stability.
“The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces on the island seek independence through force and resist reunification through force, squandering the hard-earned money of the people to purchase weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun.
“This cannot save the doomed fate of ‘Taiwan independence’ but will only accelerate the push of the Taiwan Strait toward a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war. The U.S. support for ‘Taiwan Independence’ through arms will only end up backfiring. Using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed,” he added.
According to federal law, the U.S. is compelled to help Taiwan with its self-defense, a point that has become increasingly prickly with China, which has vowed if necessary to take Taiwan by force.
