The United States announced a historic arms sales package to Taiwan valued at over $11 billion, the largest ever authorized for the island by a U.S. administration. The decision represents a strong military endorsement by the Donald Trump administration to Taipei in the face of ongoing military and diplomatic pressure from China.
The announcement came on Wednesday night through the State Department, coinciding with a nationally televised address by Trump in which the president barely touched on foreign policy matters and did not mention either China or Taiwan.
Nevertheless, the strategic message was clear: Washington maintains its commitment to defending an island that operates de facto as an independent country, but which Beijing considers a separatist province. Unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, Trump has not publicly stated whether he would militarily intervene in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
This is the second arms package approved under the current Trump administration and includes eight agreements covering everything from 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) launchers to 420 Army Tactical Missiles (ATACMS), valued at over $4 billion. These systems are similar to those sent to Ukraine to defend against the Russian invasion.
The package also includes drones, Javelin anti-tank missiles, self-propelled howitzers, and helicopter spare parts, among other materials. "The sales respond to U.S. national, economic, and security interests and aim to support Taiwan's efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a defensive capability," reads the State Department's statement.
Although Washington does not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent state and adheres to the prevailing "One China" policy, it plays with strategic ambiguity by having a Taiwan Relations Act that obliges it to provide the island with "the necessary means for self-defense." This support continually provokes protests from Beijing.
The new U.S. arms package was announced a couple of weeks after Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te presented a special budget of $40 billion for arms purchases and for the construction of the T-Dome, the new dome-shaped air defense system. "China's threats to Taiwan are increasing," stated the Taiwanese leader.
Lai had already announced a 5% increase in defense spending as a percentage of GDP (by 2030), far from Trump's demands, which required Taipei to raise it by 10%, a proportion much higher than what the U.S. or any of its major Western or Asian allies spend.
At the end of November, Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had their last phone call, during which they discussed the situation in Taiwan. Xi stated that the island's return to Chinese sovereignty is an essential component of the current international order, while the Republican made no public mention in defense of Taiwanese democracy.
"The new package will help the island maintain sufficient self-defense capabilities and strengthen its deterrent power," said Lin Chia-lung, Taiwanese Foreign Minister, who publicly thanked Washington for its "long-term support."
However, the announcement has sparked a strong condemnation from Beijing, stating that the arms sale violates its sovereignty and China's territorial integrity. "It seriously undermines peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," highlighted a spokesperson from China's Foreign Ministry.
"Separatist forces seeking Taiwan's independence and resisting reunification by force, squandering hard-earned money from ordinary people, are turning the island into a powder keg," emphasized. "This will only accelerate the risk of war. The U.S. attempt to promote Taiwan's independence to contain China will never succeed."