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Biden approves $425 million in arms sales to Taiwan

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – US President Joe Biden has approved arms sales to Taiwan worth over $425 million amid increased threats toward the island nation from China, the Hill reports.

China still does not accept the 1949 Taiwanese declaration of independence and has recently threatened to attack Taiwan in order to achieve reunification with the self-governing country.

Announcing the proposed new arms sale to Taiwan, the US State Department specified the deals are to supply spare parts for Taiwan’s F-16 fighters, C-130 transport planes, and other US-supplied weapons systems, as well as provide non-standard equipment, accessories, and logistics, the Hill reports.

The announcement is unlikely to go down well with China, which has stated that arms sales to Taiwan constitute a violation of the “One China” policy: under the policy, the US acknowledges China’s view on Taiwan and takes a stance of “strategic ambiguity” on what it recognizes as an unresolved issue.

Under the Taiwan Relations Act, the US must sell arms to Taiwan for its own defense but is not required to defend the Taiwanese in the event of a Chinese invasion, the Hill notes.

In a statement about the new deal with Taiwan, the US State Department said: “This proposed sale serves US national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to maintain a credible defensive capability.”