Military vehicles line up to fire a US-made TOW A2 missile during a live-fire training exercise in Pingtung County in July 2023.
Sam Yeh | AFP | Getty Images
The United States on Thursday approved a record $11.15 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, as the island faces growing threats from China and is the subject of diplomatic tensions with China and Japan.
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said the sale includes artillery systems, anti-tank missiles, spare parts for helicopters and anti-ship missiles, and is included in the $40 billion additional defense budget announced by President Lai Ching-de in November.
Lai last month pledged to strengthen Taiwan's self-defense capabilities in the face of growing threats from China and achieve high-level combat readiness by 2027. He also warned that China aims to occupy Taiwan by 2027.
Lai warned of Beijing's “unprecedented military buildup” and “intensified provocations in the Taiwan Strait, East China Sea, South China Sea, and across the Indo-Pacific.”
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said in a post on X on Wednesday that the Chinese aircraft carrier Fujian had sailed through the Taiwan Strait, adding that the military was “monitoring the situation and responding.”
In response to Taiwan's supplementary budget, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a press conference, referring to Taiwan's ruling party, “The Democratic Progressive Party's plan to resist unification and seek independence through the use of force is doomed to failure.''
China has increased pressure on Taipei, holding several military exercises off the coast of Taipei in recent years and issuing stern warnings against Taiwan's “provocations to independence.”
The Chinese government regards democratically-ruled Taiwan as its own territory, and Chinese President Xi Jinping views unification with the mainland as a “historical necessity.” Taiwan rejects these claims.
The US package is reportedly the largest in history, consisting of 82 HIMARS rocket artillery systems and related equipment worth $4.05 billion, including 420 ATACMS missiles with a range of up to 300 kilometers, unmanned surveillance systems and military software.
It also includes 60 self-propelled M109A7 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment valued at more than $4 billion, and Javelin and TOW anti-tank missiles valued at more than $700 million.
The United States does not have a mutual defense treaty with Taiwan and has no obligation to defend Taiwan.
However, the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979 stipulates that the United States will “provide Taiwan with defense supplies and services” necessary to “enable Taiwan to maintain an adequate self-defense capability.”
In November, China unleashed harsh rhetoric against Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after she said an attempt to seize Taiwan by force could prompt Japan's Self-Defense Forces to intervene.
The Chinese government asked Takaichi to retract his statements and apologize, and advised its citizens not to visit Japan due to the ongoing diplomatic conflict with the Japanese government.
—CNBC's Anniek Bao contributed to this report.