The US government has approved the largest arms sales package ever to Taiwan. Observers say the move could place significant strain on US-China relations, drawing strong backlash from Beijing amid rising diplomatic tensions over East Asia.
The US State Department disclosed the approval of a major arms sale to Taiwan on Saturday, Bloomberg reported. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said in a separate statement Sunday that the total value of the arms sale could reach up to $11.54 billion. CNBC described it as "the largest-ever US arms sale approved for Taiwan."
The US had previously approved a $330 million contract on November 13 to sell fighter jet and transport aircraft parts to Taiwan, marking the first arms sale to Taiwan under the second Trump administration. The second arms sale was approved approximately one month later.
The package includes various weapons systems aimed at strengthening Taiwan's defense capabilities, including missiles and drones. Specifically, it contains the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which has been used in the Ukraine war, M107A7 self-propelled howitzers, Altius-700M and Altius-600 loitering munitions, Javelin anti-tank missiles, and TOW anti-tank missiles. The package also includes tactical mission network software, spare and maintenance parts for AH-1W helicopters, and follow-on support for Harpoon anti-ship missile maintenance.
Taiwan has made strengthening its defense capabilities a national priority as military pressure from China intensifies. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te wrote in a Washington Post op-ed last month that "China's unprecedented military buildup, combined with its increasing provocations across the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, the South China Sea, and throughout the Indo-Pacific, has highlighted the fragility of peace in the region," adding that "China's willingness to change the status quo by force is becoming increasingly clear." He also outlined plans to allocate a special defense budget of $40 billion in response.
Some analysts interpret this decision as a strategic move by the Trump administration to strengthen Taiwan's military capabilities to counter China's military influence. During President Trump's first term, US arms sales to Taiwan totaled $18.65 billion, far exceeding the $8.7 billion during the Biden administration.
Taiwan's government welcomed the decision. Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said, "We sincerely thank the United States for its long-term support for regional security and Taiwan's self-defense capabilities," adding, "We welcome the concrete actions implementing the emphasis in the new National Security Strategy on Taiwan's strategic position and 'deterring conflict in the Taiwan Strait through strengthening military power.'"
China, however, reacted strongly. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a briefing, "The United States openly announced plans to sell large amounts of advanced weapons to Taiwan, seriously violating the one-China principle and the three US-China joint communiqués, and seriously undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. China firmly opposes and strongly condemns this."
Concerns are also emerging that this decision could further heighten tensions in US-China relations. Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized in a phone call with President Trump last month that "Taiwan's belonging to China is at the core of the international order formed after World War II."
