US approves $11bn in arms sales to Taiwan in deal likely to anger China

Huge US arms bundle for Taiwan includes HIMARS rocket systems, howitzer artillery, antitank missiles, and drones.

The United States has approved $11.1bn successful arms income to Taiwan, 1 of Washington’s largest-ever weapons packages for the self-ruled island, which Beijing has promised to unify with mainland China.

The US State Department announced the woody precocious connected Wednesday during a nationally televised code by President Donald Trump.

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Weapons successful the projected merchantability see 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, oregon HIMARS, and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems, oregon ATACMS – worthy much than $4bn – defence systems that are akin to what the US had been providing Ukraine to support against Russian aerial attacks.

The woody besides includes 60 self-propelled howitzer artillery systems and related instrumentality worthy much than $4bn and drones valued astatine much than $1bn.

Other income successful the bundle see subject bundle valued astatine much than $1bn, Javelin and TOW missiles worthy much than $700m, chopper spare parts worthy $96m and refurbishment kits for Harpoon missiles worthy $91m.

In a bid of abstracted statements announcing details of the weapons deal, the Pentagon said the income served US national, economical and information interests by supporting Taiwan’s continuing efforts to modernise its equipped forces and to support a “credible antiaircraft capability”.

Taiwan’s defence ministry and statesmanlike bureau welcomed the news portion China’s overseas ministry did not instantly respond to a petition for remark from the Reuters quality agency.

Washington’s immense merchantability of arms to Taiwan volition apt infuriate China, which claims Taiwan is portion of its territory and has threatened to usage unit to bring it nether its control.

“The United States continues to assistance Taiwan successful maintaining capable self-defence capabilities and successful rapidly gathering beardown deterrent power,” Taiwan’s defence ministry said successful a statement.

Taiwan statesmanlike bureau spokesperson Karen Kuo said Taiwan would proceed to betterment its defence assemblage and “strengthen whole-of-society defence resilience” to “demonstrate our determination to support ourselves, and safeguard bid done strength”.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said connected Wednesday that it opposed efforts by the US Congress to walk bills “related to Taiwan and firmly opposes immoderate signifier of subject interaction betwixt the US and Taiwan”.

“We impulse the US to abide by the 1 China rule and the provisions of the 3 Sino-US associated communiques : Stop ‘arming Taiwan’, halt reviewing applicable bills, and halt interfering successful China’s interior affairs,” the office’s spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said successful a statement.

Zhu said Taiwan’s governmental leaders were pursuing “independence”, and were “willing to fto outer forces crook the land into a ‘war porcupine’,” which could effect successful the colonisation becoming “cannon fodder” and “slaughtered astatine will, which is despicable”.

Taiwan’s President William Lai Ching-te past period announced a $40bn supplementary defence budget, to tally from 2026 to 2033, saying determination was “no country for compromise connected nationalist security”.