Biden Unveils New Major Weapons Shipment for Taiwan

President Biden reportedly approved a fresh $345 million weapons aid package for Taiwan on Friday, a move that is certain to enrage China.

The 2023 budget was authorized by Congress with up to $1 billion in Presidential Drawdown Authority arms aid for Taiwan, which vehemently disputes Chinese claims to sovereignty.

Beijing has consistently asked that the United States, Taiwan’s major military supplier, stop supplying the island with weapons.

The White House withheld information on the contents of the shipment, but according to Reuters, it is anticipated to include four unarmed MQ-9A reconnaissance drones if American authorities are able to remove some of the sophisticated technology that is put on the drones but that can only be accessed by the U.S. Air Force.

Taiwan has earlier committed to buy four more sophisticated General Atomics MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones, with delivery scheduled for 2025.

China often deploys planes and vessels to harass the island’s military and scare its 23 million inhabitants because it views close U.S. ally Taiwan as its own province.

It has never abandoned its intention to seize the island through force. Taiwan has proclaimed its independence and has vehemently rejected China’s claims of sovereignty.

By enabling the president to transfer goods and services from U.S. stockpiles in an emergency, the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) has been utilized to speed up security aid to Ukraine.

However, the Taiwan PDA is a non-emergency power that Congress granted last year.