The Trump administration has announced an extensive arms sale to Taiwan valued at approximately $11 billion, significantly surpassing previous arms deals during the Biden administration. This trilateral agreement brings Taiwan’s military up to standard with advanced military equipment. It features High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (Himars), self-propelled howitzers, and other missiles to bolster Taiwan’s defense as tensions with China continue to rise.
However, compared to that package, the current package is clearly an outlier. This exceeds the first 19 rounds of arms sales—$8.38 billion—under Joe Biden’s presidency. In his first term, Trump authorized $18.3 billion in arms sales to Taiwan. The largest individual package was $8 billion. The arms sale announced this past Friday reflects that deep commitment to bolstering Taiwan’s military. This coincides with China significantly increasing its defense budget and doubling down on its claim over the island.
China has historically sought to peacefully reunite with what it views as a breakaway province, Taiwan. They have not publicly ruled out the use of force to achieve this goal. Unsurprisingly, Beijing has vociferously protested the latest sale, too. Further, it claims that these transactions jeopardize its sovereignty and security. China released an unprecedentedly harsh statement opposing the original agreement. This agreement included the sale of fighter jets and aircraft parts, totaling up to $330 million, which they called a “grave infringement” on their territorial integrity.
Closer to home, Taiwan is boosting its defenses! In response, President Lai Ching-te has pledged to create a dome-like air defense umbrella to neutralize such hostile threats. Modernize Taiwan’s Military At every opportunity ingoing Taiwan policy — a strong U.S. It underscored that this arms package is critical for Taipei to maintain a credible self-defense.
Taiwan’s defense ministry expressed gratitude for the deal, highlighting that it would contribute to “rapidly building robust deterrence capabilities.” The most advanced systems, such as the Himars and self-propelled howitzers, will significantly enhance Taiwan’s defense capabilities. Collectively, these improvements will better enable Taiwan to respond quickly and effectively should potential threats be realized.
China, meanwhile, is preparing to accelerate increases in its defense spending. Next year, it hopes this spending will exceed 3% of its gross domestic product, with a long-term goal of increasing that number as much as 5% by 2030. The military investment is soaring at a breakneck pace. This latest increase underscores the unprecedented strategic competition that now marks the region, with both blocs as keen to flex their muscles.