President Joe Biden’s administration has approved a military transfer to Taiwan under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program used for sovereign states.
This was announced in a notification sent to the US Congress.
The notification was sent to the congressional committees about the State Department’s intention to provide up to $80 million in FMF money in support of Taiwan,
According to the notification, “FMF will be used to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defence capabilities through joint and combined defense capability and enhanced maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability.”
Taiwan’s defense ministry expressed gratitude but declined to elaborate on the specifics of the assistance, adding that the US has previously assisted the island in strengthening its combat capabilities under existing policies and laws.
Representative Michael McCaul, the Republican head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expressed satisfaction that the administration was “finally” providing FMF to Taiwan.
According to McCaul, “these weapons will not only help Taiwan and protect other democracies in the region, but also strengthen the U.S. deterrence posture and ensure our national security from an increasingly aggressive CCP (Chinese Communist Party).”
FMF, the State Department’s largest military assistance account, primarily grants grants to foreign countries for the purchase of U.S. defence equipment and military training through the Foreign Military Sales programme.
A State Department official confirmed the notification to Congress, stating that the decision to give Taiwan FMF support reflected no change in US policy.
Beijing claims sovereignty over the democratically ruled island and warns against any “official exchanges” between Washington and Taipei.
Taiwan opposes China’s sovereignty claims, claiming that only the people of Taiwan can decide their future.
China has often complained to the US about military aid and sales to the island. Its defence ministry has stated that the US military must cease all types of “military collusion” with the island.
The United States, Taiwan’s largest arms supplier, announced last month a $345 million weapons aid package for Taiwan.
Last week, the US also approved a prospective $500 million sale to Taiwan of infrared search and track systems for F-16 fighter jets, as well as other equipment.
