This week, the Biden administration approved a $180 million arms sale to Taiwan. Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Corporation are the prime contractors for the potential sales, which will include the possible sale of Volcano anti-tank mine-laying systems.
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The White House informed Congress on Wednesday of its approval of the sale of the weapons to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office – which serves as the self-governing island nation’s diplomatic outpost in the United States.
U.S. law requires that the executive branch notifies Congress of any potential arms sales that are over a certain amount. However, these notifications aren’t usually made unless lawmakers had already given the State Department and the Department of Defense (DoD) informal approval to move ahead.
“This proposed sale serves 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 administration announced via a statement.
“The proposed sale will help improve the security of the recipient and assist in maintaining political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region.”
Despite the fact that Washington has no formal ties with Taipei, the United States has long provided arms to the island under the terms of the Taiwan Relations Act. There has long been bipartisan support for supplying Taiwan with weapons.
The U.S. also remains the island nation’s strongest international back.
China Response
This latest move is likely to provoke anger from Beijing, which views Taiwan as a breakaway province that will be returned to mainland control, and by force if necessary.
The potential deal was also approved as China has ramped up military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan to assert its sovereignty claims, including almost daily People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) sorties near the island over the past three years.
“The Chinese Communist Party’s frequent military activities near Taiwan have posted severe military threats to us,” the Taiwanese Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that continuous U.S. military sales are the “cornerstone of maintaining regional stability and peace.”
Beijing has been conducting a number of military exercises in the region, and that included a record number of aircraft sorties near Taiwan in recent days.
Past Arms Sales
This is just the latest detail to see approval from the Biden Administration. In September, the White House had approved more than $1.1 billion in arms sales to Taipei, the largest in President Joe Biden’s tenure. It included up to 60 anti-ship missiles and up to 100 air-to-air missiles.
That particular sale came shortly after tensions between China and the U.S. were inflamed following House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in early August.
A year earlier, in August 2021, the administration also put forward a $750 million weapons sale to Taiwan, which consisted of 40 M109A6 Medium Self-Propelled Howitzer Systems and related equipment.
Last week, President Joe Biden also signed into law a defense spending bill that included up to $10 billion in military grant assistance to Taiwan.
The bill authorizes up to $2 billion a year to assist Taiwan from 2023 to 2027.
Author Experience and Expertise: A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
