President Donald Trump’s administration has announced an unprecedented arms deal with Taiwan valued at more than $11 billion as the nation comes under increasing threat of invasion from Communist China.
The package would become the largest single U.S. weapons sale to the island nation in American history if approved by Congress.
The agreements span eight major arms sales and include medium-range missiles, advanced artillery systems, drones, and critical support equipment.
The deal eclipses the previous $8.4 billion package approved under former President Joe Biden.
According to the Wednesday announcement, Taiwan would receive 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 420 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), the same long-range systems the U.S. provided Ukraine during the Biden administration.
The sale of the missiles will total more than $4 billion.
The package also includes 60 self-propelled howitzer systems and related equipment worth over $4 billion, as well as drones valued at more than $1 billion.
Additional components of the sale include more than $1 billion in military software, Javelin and TOW missiles worth over $700 million, helicopter spare parts totaling $96 million, and refurbishment kits for Harpoon anti-ship missiles valued at $91 million.
The State Department said the sale strengthens U.S. strategic interests in the region and reinforces Taiwan’s ability to deter aggression.
The deal, officials said, will protect America’s “national, economic, and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and to maintain a credible defensive capability.”
China Issues Threats as Taiwan Praises U.S. Support
China’s foreign ministry immediately condemned the announcement, issuing sharp warnings about the future of Taiwan’s self-rule.
Beijing argues that increased U.S. military support fuels instability across the Taiwan Strait.
“The ‘Taiwan independence’ forces on the island seek independence through force and resist reunification through force, squandering the hard-earned money of the people to purchase weapons at the cost of turning Taiwan into a powder keg,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.
“This cannot save the doomed fate of ‘Taiwan independence’ but will only accelerate the push of the Taiwan Strait toward a dangerous situation of military confrontation and war,” he added.
“The U.S. support for ‘Taiwan Independence’ through arms will only end up backfiring. Using Taiwan to contain China will not succeed.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung expressed gratitude for Washington’s continued support.
He thanked the United States for its “long-term support for regional security and Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities.”
Chia-lung called America’s support essential for deterring conflict with China in the Taiwan Strait.
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