The Biden administration has approved its latest arms sale to Taiwan amid the ongoing tensions with China.
China has recently conducted military drills in the Taiwan strait and showed strong opposition to the visit of U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other US officials visiting Taiwan.
Arms Deal
60% of the arms, supplied to Taiwan, are for the air defense system consisting of radar and aerial warning systems. $655 million of the equipment will further strengthen Taiwan’s air defense capabilities. The sale also included $355 million in air-to-sea missiles and $85 million in air-to-air missiles.
China’s Opposition
Chinese spokesman of the embassy in the US, Liu Pengyu, has strongly criticized the arms deal considering it “interference in China’s internal affairs.”
China has opposed every US interaction with Taiwan for decades as it considers Taiwan a part of China. The United States interferes in China’s internal affairs and undermines China’s sovereignty and security interests by selling arms to the Taiwan region, Liu said.
