President Donald Trump refused to approve a proposed arms package to Taiwan. Trump views the breakaway Chinese region as prosperous enough to purchase American arms.
Five sources speaking with The Washington Post confirmed that Trump had rejected a $400 million military aid package for Taiwan. The source described the proposed assistance as “more lethal” than the arms given to Taipei under President Joe Biden.
Last year, Congress gave Washington $1 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority funds for Taiwan. The PDA allows the President to send arms from US stockpiles directly to foreign countries.
Biden used $571 million to send weapons to Taipei before leaving office, meaning Trump could send Taiwan about $430 million in arms before the US fiscal year ends at the end of September.
While President Biden officially used the PDA to transfer US arms to Ukraine and Taiwan, Trump has been a vocal opponent of military aid. Trump has also stopped using the PDA to arm Kiev, but has allowed NATO countries to purchase American weapons for Ukraine.
Last month, US and Taiwanese officials met to discuss an arms sale. The Post reports that the sale would involve “asymmetric” military equipment, including drones, missiles, and sensors. Taipei is planning to pass a supplemental defense spending bill to pay for the weapons.
A Congressional aide told the outlet that the White House notified the Capitol of a potential $500 million arms sale to Taiwan this week.
The sources speaking with The Post also said that Trump was hesitant to approve the aid package to Taiwan as he looks to make a trade deal with China. Beijing views Taipei as a renegade region of China. Beijing views Washington’s giving arms to Taipei as a violation of the “One China Policy” and encouraging Taiwanese independence.
However, the White House and the sources who spoke with The Post said it was still possible for Trump to reverse course and sign off on the arms package for Taiwan.
On Thursday, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun condemned “external military interference” in Taiwan. “We will never allow any separatist plot for Taiwan independence to succeed, and we stand ready to thwart any external military interference at any time,” he said. Dong went on to condemn Washington’s “Cold War mentality, hegemonism and protectionism.”
Taipei is also working to bolster its military with domestically produced missiles. On Thursday, Taiwan’s largest arms manufacturer released a prototype of a “low-cost autonomous cruise missile.”
The new munition was co-developed with the American arms firm Anduril. Anduril is owned by Palmer Luckey, a large donor to President Donald Trump’s campaigns.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Anitwar.com and news editor of the Libertarian Institute. He hosts The Kyle Anzalone Show and is co-host of Conflicts of Interest with Connor Freeman.
