The United States has approved its first military sale to Taiwan since President Donald Trumpâs return to office, authorizing $330 million worth of spare parts and components, Taipeiâs foreign ministry confirmed Friday.
The sale underscores Washingtonâs role as Taiwanâs largest arms supplier and a critical deterrent against potential Chinese aggression, though Trumpâs past remarks on the island have raised questions about his commitment to its defence.
Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has repeatedly threatened to use force to assert control. Chinaâs foreign ministry condemned the sale, stating it âfirmly opposesâ the move, which comes just two weeks after Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea.
Details of the Sale
According to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Taiwan requested non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables, accessories, and repair-and-return support for F-16s, C-130s, and Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF) aircraft.
Taiwanâs Ministry of Defence said the acquisition would help maintain combat readiness and enhance defensive resilience against ongoing Chinese military pressure.
China conducts near-daily military aircraft and naval patrols around Taiwan in what analysts describe as âgrey-zoneâ operationsâcoercive actions that fall short of open warfare.
Strategic Ambiguity and Budget Challenges
The US is legally obligated to provide arms to Taiwan but continues to maintain âstrategic ambiguityâ regarding whether it would intervene militarily if China attacked.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has pledged to raise defence spending to over 3% of GDP next year and 5% by 2030, while boosting US investment to counter Trumpâs 20% tariff on Taiwanese exports. His administration plans a special defence budget of up to NT$1 trillion (US$32 billion), including US weapons purchases.
However, the proposal faces opposition from the Kuomintang (KMT), which controls parliament with the Taiwan Peopleâs Party.
KMT lawmakers have criticized delays in US weapons deliveriesâexacerbated by Covid-19 supply disruptions and US support for Ukraine and Israelâand argued that defence spending should not exceed 3% of GDP.
Regional Tensions Rising
The arms sale comes amid escalating regional tensions. Japanâs new hawkish Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, recently suggested that armed attacks on Taiwan could justify Japanese troop deployment under collective self-defence, prompting sharp condemnation from Beijing, which warned it âwill by no means tolerateâ such statements.
This US arms saleâthe first since December 2024 under former President Joe Bidenâsignals continued Washington support for Taiwan amid rising cross-strait and regional tensions.
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