The U.S. announced $345 million in military aid for Taiwan, Friday, in what is the Biden administration’s first major package drawing on America’s own stockpiles to help Taiwan counter China.

The White House’s announcement said the package would include defense, education and training for the Taiwanese. Washington will send man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters ahead of the announcement.

U.S. lawmakers have been pressuring the Pentagon and White House to speed weapons to Taiwan.

The goals are to help it counter China and to deter China from considering attacking, by providing Taipei enough weaponry that it would make the price of invasion too high.

While Chinese diplomats protested the move, Taiwan’s trade office in Washington said the U.S. decision to pull arms and other materiel from its stores provided “an important tool to support Taiwan’s self-defense.” In a statement, it pledged to work with the United States to maintain “peace, stability and the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.”

The package is in addition to nearly $19 billion in military sales of F-16s and other major weapons systems that the U.S. has approved for Taiwan. Delivery of those weapons has been hampered by supply chain issues that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been exacerbated by the global defense industrial base pressures created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The difference is that this aid is part of a presidential authority approved by Congress last year to draw weapons from current U.S. military stockpiles ― so Taiwan will not have to wait for military production and sales. This gets weapons delivered faster than providing funding for new weapons.

The Pentagon has used a similar authority to get billions of dollars worth of munitions to Ukraine.

Taiwan split from China in 1949 amid civil war. Chinese President Xi Jinping maintains China’s right to take over the now self-ruled island, by force if necessary. China has accused the U.S. of turning Taiwan into a “powder keg” through the billions of dollars in weapons sales it has pledged.

The U.S. maintains a “One China” policy under which it does not recognize Taiwan’s formal independence and has no formal diplomatic relations with the island in deference to Beijing. However, U.S. law requires a credible defense for Taiwan and for the U.S. to treat all threats to the island as matters of “grave concern.”

Getting stockpiles of weapons to Taiwan now, before an attack begins, is one of the lessons the U.S. has learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pentagon deputy defense secretary Kathleen Hicks told The Associated Press earlier this year.

Ukraine “was more of a cold-start approach than the planned approach we have been working on for Taiwan, and we will apply those lessons,” Hicks said. Efforts to resupply Taiwan after a conflict erupted would be complicated because it is an island, she said.

China regularly sends warships and planes across the center line in the Taiwan Strait that provides a buffer between the sides, as well as into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, in an effort to intimidate the island’s 23 million people and wear down its military capabilities.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for China’s embassy in Washington, said in a statement Friday that Beijing was “firmly opposed” to U.S. military ties with Taiwan. The U.S. should “stop selling arms to Taiwan” and “stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” Liu said. (AP)

    • Hogger85b@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      yep. I know couple hong kongers since mid 2000s that are so glad they escaped in early 2000s as despite promises in 1999, they knew mainland would force through. (I originally thought some of the racist people I knew was their approach to mainlanders, but last 10 years maybe they had a point)

    • Robaque@feddit.it
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      11 months ago

      criticising US gov imperialism ≠ endorsing CPC imperialism

      • BROOT@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Stretch before you reach, friend. Giving a country a massive amount of weapons to defend its own borders is far from imperialism.

        • root@precious.net
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          1 year ago

          It’s called a proxy war. You can’t cherry pick which ones you’re OK with.

        • Sethayy@sh.itjust.works
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          1 year ago

          You gotta admit tho america with Ukraine on Russia and tiawan on china, america has any superpower by the balls militarily.

          Just look what america did to Cuba when in a similar position, sure they’re the lesser of 2 evils - but far from the good guys

            • Sethayy@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              As did the Russians to Cuba, and ignoring the imperialistic benefit of their ally to america is borderlining intentional ignorance. A great counterexample to your argument is the age old Nazi bar analogy; you own a bar and let Nazis in, youre just gonna attract more - before long you’ll just be known as the Nazi bar.

              (but tbh not in a way one should entirely blame themselves for cause that’s what these global superpowers capotilizes on, being the lesser of 2 evils then reaping the benefits of everything)

        • Robaque@feddit.it
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          1 year ago

          Nah, imperialism is about power and influence in general, not just direct military force.

          Ever heard of proxy wars?

    • MrSpArkle@lemmy.ca
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      1 year ago

      For context we’ve been selling weapons to Taiwan for decades. The lip service we pay china on the subject is just kayfabe.

      • Nogami@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It’s nice that it’s out in the open now. Let’s China know it’s place and that everyone is tired of their shit.

        • PersnickityPenguin@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          It’s been out in the open for a long time. Taiwan has many naval ships that were ex-us Navy that were sold to it, in addition to fighter jets, missile systems etc.

          This is nothing new, just business as usual along with the usual China “final warning.”

          • Nogami@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            It’s also being made into a news item now instead of just a sale between nations. They’re definitely using this as a non subtle warning to China.

    • Nix@merv.news
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      1 year ago

      “The civilized world” has the strongest stench of white supremacy wow. I don’t understand why you would feel comfortable saying that

      • Nogami@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Since some easily ruffled $0.50 mod erased my post let me explain. Anytime someone does something China doesn’t like they immediately cry racism about it.

        It’s all bullshit and we all know it.

        It’s long past time for the world to stop putting up with China’s crap and let them know they’ll be entirely cut off from the world if they can’t learn to play nice.

        Oh look, I’m being brigaded by downvote bots, it’s just so pathetic.