If US arms sales to Taiwan do pick up, it might assuage concerns about how deep Trump’s commitment to the island is. It would also introduce new tension into the already strained US-China relationship.
The United States is set to increase weapons sales to Taipei to a level higher than in President Donald Trump’s initial term as part of an attempt to deter China as it steps up military pressure on the democratic island, two US officials said.
If US sales of arms to Taiwan do pick up, it would help to alleviate concerns over how deeply Trump is committed to the island. It would also introduce fresh tension into the already strained US-China relationship.
The US officials, who spoke anonymously, indicated that they anticipate US approvals for US weapons sales to Taipei during the next four years to be higher than those in Trump’s first term, with one official saying arms sales notifications to Taiwan could “easily exceed” that previous period.
They added that the United States is also pushing members of Taiwan’s opposition parties not to resist the government’s attempts to raise defence spending to 3% of the island’s budget.
Trump’s first administration approved about $18.3 billion worth of arms sales to Taiwan, compared to about $8.4 billion under Joe Biden, based on Reuters calculations. Taiwan’s most significant foreign supporter and weapons supplier is the United States, despite the absence of official diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei.
However, Taiwan, which China considers its territory, is concerned that Trump might not be as dedicated to the island as previous US presidents. During the election campaign, Trump indicated Taiwan would have to pay to be defended and further charged the island with pilfering American semiconductor trade, raising concerns in Taipei.
China has promised to “reunify” with the independently ruled island, using force if need be. Taiwan’s government spurns Beijing’s claims of sovereignty, stating that only the people of the island can determine their future.
