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“ESSENTIAL” FOR TAIWAN
A spokesperson for the State Department, which approved the sale, said that the package was “essential for Taiwan’s security” and stressed that the United States still recognised only Beijing and not Taipei.
“We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan,” the spokesperson said.
The sales “are routine cases to support Taiwan’s continuing efforts to modernise its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability”, the spokesperson said on condition of anonymity in line with protocol.
“The United States will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people on Taiwan,” he said.
The sale needs the approval of US Congress, which is virtually assured as Taiwan enjoys strong support across party lines.
Ahead of the visit of Pelosi, who is second in line to the White House, Biden officials quietly made the case to China that she did not represent the administration policy as Congress is a separate and equal branch of government.
The weapons approval, by contrast, clearly comes from the Biden administration, although it is consistent with sales since 1979 when the United States switched recognition to Beijing but agreed to maintain Taiwan’s capacity for self-defence.
Biden, on a trip to Tokyo in May, appeared to break with decades of US policy by saying that the United States would defend Taiwan directly if it is attacked, although his aides later walked back his remarks, insisting that US policy remained ambiguous.
China considers Taiwan a province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. China’s nationalists set up a rival government in Taiwan in 1949 after losing the mainland’s civil war, although the island has since blossomed into a vibrant democracy and major technological hub.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has raised growing questions on whether China may follow suit in Taiwan and whether the island is equipped to defend itself.
In a July appearance, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) chief Bill Burns said that Chinese President Xi Jinping was still determined to assert control over Taiwan, but that Russia’s woes in Ukraine may have prompted Beijing to wait and make sure it can have an overwhelming military advantage.
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