US to sell vital military parts to Taiwan in major policy signal
Taiwanese officials say “the sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumours (Mr Trump) has ‘sold out’ the nation in a potential deal with China”.
Given Mr Trump’s unhelpful propensity to change his mind, it must be hoped they are right. Taiwan, as the Journal noted, “needs a richer mix of capabilities to defend itself (and) build what US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Sam Paparo has called a ‘hellscape’ for the Chinese military if it attempts an invasion across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan deserves to be first in line for the weapons it has ordered, given its urgent need”. It is imperative for democracies that Taipei is not subjected to the same uncertainties and inconsistencies over US weapons supplies that Ukraine has faced.
Mr Xi’s unrelenting aggression against Taiwan warrants Western support for the democratic government in Taipei. Mr Trump’s dismissal of prospects for a full-scale invasion of Taiwan by claiming “China doesn’t want to do that”, as he did after he met Mr Albanese, is unrealistic.
Mr Xi has repeatedly left no doubt that reunification with Taiwan is “inevitable” and refused to rule out use of force. In recent weeks he has called for “efforts to advance” reunification while stepping up Beijing’s warlike intimidation. The threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is real. It demands purposeful leadership in the White House, not the 10 months of indecision over US weapons supplies that has been seen.
Tensions between Beijing and Tokyo, with one of China’s deranged “wolf warrior” diplomats publicly threatening to “slice off” the head of Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, should leave Mr Trump in no doubt about the importance to the Indo-Pacific region of ensuring that democratic, well-governed Taiwan gets the weapons it needs to defend itself against Beijing’s toxic aggression.
The weapons sale is a good start, but much more is needed if Taiwan is to survive the escalating Communist threats.
Donald Trump’s first multimillion-dollar weapons sale to Taiwan since returning to office signals he may be more resolute in defending the Indo-Pacific against Chinese aggression than he is showing in saving Ukraine from the ravages of Vladimir Putin. For months, The Wall Street Journal reported, “one of the biggest questions in global affairs (has been) whether President Trump is chasing a grand bargain with Beijing’s Xi Jinping … rumours spread this year that Mr Trump was withholding arms for Taiwan as he wooed Mr Xi on a trade deal”. Notification to the US Congress by the US Defence Security Co-operation Agency last week of a $US330m ($511.3m) arms deal for the island democracy has put paid to much of that speculation. Despite the optimism about Washington’s relations with Beijing that Mr Trump expressed after meeting Anthony Albanese in Washington last month, when he said he did not believe China wanted to invade Taiwan, the US weapons shipment includes vital parts for Taipei’s F-16 fighters, C-130 transport and Indigenous Defence Fighter aircraft, as well as US technical and logistics support.