WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has announced a massive weapons sale to Taiwan worth more than $10 billion, including medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, a move sure to anger China.
The State Department announced the arms sales late Wednesday during a nationally televised address by President Donald Trump, who rarely mentioned foreign policy issues and did not mention China or Taiwan at all. U.S.-China tensions have eased intermittently during Trump’s second term, mostly over trade and tariffs but also because China has become increasingly aggressive toward Taiwan, which Beijing says must be reunified with the mainland.
The eight arms sales deals announced Wednesday cover 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) — similar to what the U.S. provided to Ukraine during the Biden administration for defense against Russia — worth more than $4 billion. This also includes 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth more than $4 billion, and drones worth more than $1 billion.
Other sales in the program include more than $1 billion worth of military software, more than $700 million worth of Javelin and TOW missiles, $96 million worth of helicopter spare parts and $91 million worth of Harpoon missile refurbishment kits.
In a nearly identical statement, the U.S. State Department said the sale “serves the national, economic and security interests of the United States by supporting the recipient’s ongoing efforts to modernize the armed forces and maintain reliable defense capabilities.”
“The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and help maintain political stability, military balance and economic progress in the region,” the statement said.
The United States is obligated under federal law to assist Taiwan in its self-defense, an issue that has become increasingly controversial with China, which has vowed to use force to occupy the island if necessary.
Legislation passed by Congress heralds an increase in military aid to Taiwan, and Trump is expected to sign the bill soon.
Last week, the Chinese Embassy in Washington condemned the legislation, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, saying it unfairly casts China as an aggressor.
“This bill continues to exaggerate the ‘China threat’ argument, advocates military support for Taiwan, abuses state power to suppress China’s economic development, restricts Sino-US trade, economic and cultural exchanges, harms China’s sovereignty, security, and development interests, and interferes with the efforts of both parties to stabilize bilateral relations,” the Beijing Embassy in Washington said after the House of Representatives passed the bill.
China expresses strong dissatisfaction and firm opposition to this.
The U.S. Senate passed the bill on Wednesday.
