Biden Admin. Approves $180M in Military Aid for Taiwan

Facts

• The US Dept. of State on Wednesday approved the sale of a $180M military package to Taiwan, including Volcano anti-tank systems, cargo trucks, ammunition, and logistics support packages.
• The Volcano can disperse anti-armor and anti-personnel mines over a large area within minutes. The package also includes dummy and test rounds for the M87A1 anti-tank system, as well as cargo trucks on which it's mounted.
• The systems would serve as one level of Taiwan's defense, including placing naval mines in the Taiwan Strait ahead of an invasion. They would likely be deployed to the few beaches suitable for an amphibious landing.
• Taiwan's defense ministry said the sale would take effect in roughly a month and will help boost its asymmetric warfare capacity amid China's increased military activities, which Taipei views as a severe military threat.
• The sale, which the State Dept. says "serves US national, economic, and security interests," comes amid a long history of US military support to the island under the Taiwan Relations Act. The Biden Admin. in September approved more than $1.1B in weapons such as anti-ship and air-to-air missiles.
• The PRC has been applying geopolitical, economic, and diplomatic pressure on Taiwan — including air force missions near the island over the last three years.

Sources: Defense Post, Newsweek, Al Arabiya, CNN, and Al Jazeera.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Wall Street Journal. The United State's recent push to provide defensive military aid to Taiwan is an effort to prevent China from even attempting an invasion in the first place. China seems to only be ramping up both its military capabilities and aggressive rhetoric toward the island. Taiwan must begin taking faster steps toward completing its asymmetric defense strategy to defend itself from aggression antithetical to a rules-based order.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Socialist Project. After decades of non-interference policies beginning under the Carter and Nixon administrations, recent US presidents have betrayed the "one China" policy. Even before Nancy Pelosi's reckless trip to the island — in which she was escorted by warships and aircraft carriers — the Biden admin. pondered expensive military-industrial complex weapons packages for Taipei. This is a recipe for unnecessary war and a gross waste of taxpayer funds.