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China bristled at the Biden administration’s recent $345 million military aid package to Taiwan, adamant the move won’t deter its reunification efforts.
The White House unveiled the sweeping aid package Friday to shore up the self-governing island’s defense capabilities by drawing from existing US military stockpiles.
“No matter how much of the ordinary people’s taxpayer money the … Taiwanese separatist forces spend, no matter how many U.S. weapons, it will not shake our resolve to solve the Taiwan problem. Or shake our firm will to realize the reunification of our motherland,” Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office said in a statement late Saturday.
China has long claimed sovereignty over the island of Taiwan, which is ruled by an independent government, has its own military and run its own currency.
On paper, the US is committed to the One China Policy, in which Washington recognizes Taiwan as part of China. But the US also engages in “strategic ambiguity” on the matter and has close ties with Taiwan.
Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has sought to bolster ties with the US. REUTERS
Taiwan’s military holds drills, simulating an anti-landing operations on July 27, 2023.AP
“Their actions are turning Taiwan into a powder keg and ammunition depot, aggravating the threat of war in the Taiwan Strait,” Binhua’s statement continued.
That recent package includes a range of hardware, including firearms, missiles, portable air defense systems, surveillance equipment and more.
While the US has funneled weapons and defense equipment to Taipei in the past, this latest batch is unique because it draws directly from current US stockpiles rather than making Taiwan wait for production.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen inspects a military drill. US foreign policy experts have become increasingly nervous about Taiwan following the war in Ukraine.VIA REUTERS
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made reunifications with Taiwan a key objective and has not ruled out the use of military force.
This has sparked national security concerns in the US given the dependency on Taipei for advanced chip manufacturing, particularly from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company.
Taiwan has over $19 billion in military aid from the US pending, including F-16s and other weaponry, but much of that has yet to arrive.
China’s military is considered far more powerful than Taiwan.REUTERS
Taiwan has long been one of the key flashpoints in US relations with China.AP
China and its neighboring island splintered in 1949 during the brutal civil war and have remained apart for over seven decades since.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense recently claimed to have detected six Chinese navy vessels around its borders.
With Post wires
