Despite not formally recognizing Taiwan as a thing, and having no diplomaticc ties with them whatsoever, the Obama Administration has dumped some $14 billion in weapons on Taiwan’s military since 2010, and is looking to escalate that level, pushing Taiwan to increase its defense spending.
The Defense Department is pushing the additional sales as part of the conceit that Taiwan has “not kept pace” with China’s growing military spending, ignoring that China’s spending itself has escalated primarily in response to the US repeatedly confronting them in the region.
Officials are even trying to tangentially make this about Donald Trump taking a phone call from Taiwan’s president, something the outgoing Obama Administration has condemned, arguing that Trump could “provoke” a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
In the end, however, the US interest is less in getting Taiwan to prepare for a war that isn’t coming than to get them to buy even more useless military gear, as US contractors provide materially all the equipment to Taiwan’s military, and would stand to gain financially from the spending increase.
As I recall, Taiwan IS the only government of China that the US recognized historically. So this is a little like telling China to arm itself against the terrible threat of China.
It all changed in the 1970s when USA ‘stopped’ recognizing Taiwan, recognizing the mainland instead…
Taiwan has the largest population – and the largest economy – of any country not represented in the United Nations!
Fooking war mongers… appalling!
Have they no shame?