WASHINGTON — The United States is taking new steps to arm Taiwan against China, with Congress passing legislation that will fund arms sales and allow the possible transfer of weapons from American military stockpiles to Taipei, as the United States did for Ukraine.
The Taiwan provisions included in this year’s $858 billion defense policy bill, which passed the Senate on Thursday, represent some of the biggest changes to US defense support for Taiwan in decades. Demands that the US government accelerate arms transfers to Taiwan amid the continuing war in Ukraine.
For the first time, bipartisan legislation provides as much as $10 billion in arms funding and grants over five years, providing an additional avenue for arms transfers beyond direct military sales to Taiwan. It also gives the president the authority to draw on existing US weapons stockpiles for transfer directly to Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack or other acts of aggression.
Upgrading Taiwan’s defenses has become an urgent priority for Washington. Defense Ministry officials have said China’s military wants to acquire capabilities that would allow it to attack or invade Taiwan by 2027. An attack, top commanders and military experts warn, would transform the region’s security and economy and give China more control sea lanes, putting pressure on US allies and pushing out US forces.
Chinese helicopters took part in military exercises near Taiwan in August after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the island.
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hector retamal/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images
The new support package should eventually provide Taiwan with sufficient capabilities to deter or prevent potential aggression from China and allow the United States to deploy forces to defend the island, said Mark Montgomery, a retired admiral. He said the arms funding and other changes go beyond the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, which committed the US to Taiwan’s defense support.
“It goes significantly further,” said Mr. Montgomery, now a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank. “We will help you pay for the weapons, store the weapons for you to access, give you presidential authorization to draw from American stockpiles, and participate in planning and training.”
President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law. Whether the new measures will be fully funded remains an active debate on Capitol Hill, lawmakers said.
In addition to the Taiwan funding, the defense law, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, also authorizes purchases of new weapons for the U.S. military, raises pay for service members and ends the Pentagon’s mandate for a covid-19 vaccine, despite the Biden administration’s desire to keep it in place. place.
Growing American support for Taiwan is one of the steps the United States is taking to prepare for what the Biden administration sees as a decisive contest with China. On Friday, the State Department officially opened a new office to coordinate China policy and better respond to Beijing’s efforts to reshape the world order.
The challenges the U.S. has faced in rapidly arming Ukraine have further highlighted concerns about arming Taiwan and given impetus to new policy measures, lawmakers said. Since Russia launched an all-out offensive in February, the U.S. has sent nearly $20 billion in weapons to Ukraine to help Kiev defend itself, mostly by draining U.S. stockpiles of missiles, artillery, drones and other weapons.
Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.) says funding for the arms transfer is critical to Taiwan getting the kind of armaments it needs to deter China.
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“We’ve learned a lesson from Ukraine where we need to make sure we work with partners and friends around the world to make sure they’re ready to stand up to these authoritarian regimes,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R). ., Iowa), who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee and is a member of the chamber’s Taiwan Caucus.
Beijing, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory, has turned to military pressure, often sending fighter jets and naval ships near the democratically-ruled island. This summer, Beijing held several days of live-fire drills and demonstrated capabilities to set up a blockade to protest a visit by Taiwan House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.