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The Trump administration has announced a major arms package worth about $11bn (£8.2bn) for Taiwan, featuring advanced rocket launchers, self-propelled howitzers, and a range of missiles.
The proposed deal, which still requires approval from the US Congress, marks the second arms sale to Taiwan since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
China, which regards self-governed Taiwan as a breakaway province, has intensified pressure on the island through military exercises and frequent incursions into its airspace and surrounding waters.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence welcomed the announcement on Thursday, saying the agreement would strengthen the island’s ability to build effective deterrence capabilities at speed.
Although the United States maintains formal diplomatic relations with Beijing rather than Taipei, it has long remained Taiwan’s key ally and largest supplier of military equipment.
China has yet to comment on the latest proposal, but last month its foreign ministry condemned a previous $330m arms deal, warning that it seriously undermined China’s sovereignty and security.
According to the U.S. Defence Security Cooperation Agency, the package includes High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, valued at $4 billion, and self-propelled howitzers worth a further $4 billion.
If approved, the deal would exceed the combined value of 19 arms sales worth $8.38bn concluded during Joe Biden’s administration. During Trump’s first term, arms sales to Taiwan totalled $18.3bn.
The US State Department said the agreement supports Washington’s interests by helping Taiwan modernise its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive posture.
China has repeatedly pledged to reunify with Taiwan and has not ruled out the use of force. In response, Taiwan plans to increase defence spending to more than 3% of GDP next year and as much as 5% by 2030.
Regional tensions have continued to rise, with China’s increasingly assertive military posture unsettling neighbouring countries, including Japan, in recent months.
