On October 26, the U.S. Defense Department announced that the State Department has approved arms sales to the Taiwan region valued at $1.988 billion. U.S. arms sales to the Taiwan region have long been a serious interference in China’s internal affairs, a severe damage to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a significant threat to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency stated that this batch aims to enhance the Taiwan region’s air defense capabilities. It includes three National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) and associated weapons systems, as well as AN/TPS-77 and AN/TPS-78 radar systems and related equipment. This marks the 17th arms sale to the Taiwan region under President Joe Biden and represents the largest deal during his presidency. According to the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council, since Biden approved the first arms sale to the Taiwan region in August 2021, the total value of arms sales has surpassed $5.7 billion, with this latest approval bringing the total to nearly $7.7 billion.
The timing of this round of arms sales indicates that the approval of the deal is more a result of internal U.S. politics rather than a commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait. President Biden may aim to strengthen the Democratic Party’s foreign affairs position through this arms sale to bolster Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. The Biden administration’s support for Israel’s military operations in Gaza and its inability to effectively counter Russia’s actions in Ukraine have increasingly burdened Harris’s campaign. The arms sale to the Taiwan region that Biden approved this month is another significant political misstep, as it may not only fail to garner additional support for the Democrats but also expose further weaknesses in his foreign policy strategy.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
