China has issued a stark warning that the latest tranche of US military aid to Taiwan is edging the self-governing island into a “dangerous situation.”
The US Senate approved a colossal $95 billion (£81 billion) in war aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan on Tuesday, following extensive delays and heated discussions over the extent of US involvement in overseas conflicts. The aid package earmarks $8 billion (£6.4 billion) for Taiwan as a measure to counteract the threat of an invasion by China, which asserts sovereignty over the entire island and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve a takeover.
The Taiwan Affairs Office on the mainland has condemned the aid, claiming it “seriously violates” US promises made to China and “sends a wrong signal to the Taiwan independence separatist forces.”
Spokesperson Zhu Fenglian accused Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which secured a third four-year presidential term in January, of being ready to “become a pawn for external forces to use Taiwan to contain China, bringing Taiwan into a dangerous situation.”
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s President-elect Lai Ching-te expressed gratitude for the support to a visiting US Congressional delegation on Tuesday, stating that the aid would “strengthen the deterrence against authoritarianism in the West Pacific ally chain” and “help ensure peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and also boost confidence in the region.”
Since President Joe Biden first requested the funds last summer, the package has enjoyed widespread support in Congress. However, congressional leaders have had to contend with increasing opposition from several Republican members who have questioned US involvement in foreign wars and argue that Congress should instead focus on the surge of migration at the US-Mexico border.
The package includes a variety of parts and services aimed at maintaining and upgrading Taiwan’s military hardware. In addition, Taiwan has signed contracts worth billions with the US for F-16V fighter jets, M1 Abrams main battle tanks and the HIMARS rocket system, which the US has also supplied to Ukraine.
China regularly launches incursions into waters and airspace around Taiwan using ships and warplanes. It has also attempted to erode Taiwan’s few remaining formal diplomatic partners.
During periods of increased tensions, China has been known to launch dozens of missions over a 24-hour period, many of them crossing the centre line in the Taiwan Strait dividing the sides or entering Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.
