Biden approves $571 million in defence support for Taiwan

This handout photo taken and released on December 16, 2024 by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence shows a U.S.-made M1A2 Abrams battle tank rolling down from a trailer at an army armour training centre in Hsinchu County, Hsinchu.
| Photo Credit: AFP

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday (December 20, 2024) agreed to provide $571.3 million in defence support for Taiwan, the White House said, while the State Department approved the potential sale to the island of $265 million worth of military equipment.

The United States is bound by law to provide Chinese-claimed Taiwan with the means to defend itself despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei, to the constant anger of Beijing.

Democratically governed Taiwan rejects China’s claims of sovereignty.

China has stepped up military pressure against Taiwan, including daily military activities near the island and two rounds of war games this year.

Taiwan went on alert last week in response to what it said was China’s largest massing of naval forces in three decades around Taiwan and in the East and South China Seas.

Mr. Biden had delegated to the Secretary of State the authority “to direct the drawdown of up to $571.3 million in defence articles and services of the Department of Defence, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan,” the White House said in a statement without providing details.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry thanked the United States for its “firm security guarantee”, saying in a statement the two sides would continue to work closely on security issues to ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait.

The Pentagon said the State Department had approved the potential sale to Taiwan of about $265 million worth of command, control, communications, and computer modernisation equipment.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said the equipment sale would help upgrade its command-and-control systems.

Taiwan’s Defence Ministry also said on Saturday (December 21, 2024) that the U.S. government had approved $30 million of parts for 76 mm autocannon, which it said would boost the island’s capacity to counter China’s “grey-zone” warfare.