ReutersTaiwan Army exercise
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 05:02
The United States has pledged an additional $345 million in military aid to Taiwan. An aid package of around 10 billion euros was previously promised until 2027, but the delivery of much equipment has been delayed due to production problems and logistical obstacles. The latest aid package – reportedly including missiles, firearms and portable air defense systems – comes directly from the US stockpile.
Washington’s military support to Taipei should act as a deterrent for China to attack Taiwan. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and tensions between the two have risen in recent years.
Lesson from Ukraine
The Pentagon, the US Department of Defense, said earlier this year that the US has learned from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Taiwan must have enough weapons to prevent a similar Chinese invasion, it was said at the time.
The new US support will go down badly with Beijing, which believes Washington should not meddle in “domestic affairs”.
Last year, then Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei. That led to a sharp Chinese condemnation. In response, China also held a large-scale military exercise, during which it sailed warships past Taiwan for several days and fired missiles over the island.
President Biden has repeatedly said that the US military will intervene if Beijing invades Taiwan.
The rift between China and Taiwan arose in 1949 during the civil war. On the mainland, the Communist Party came to power and the nationalist government of the Republic of China established itself on the island. Under the latter name, Taiwan considers itself independent, but Beijing sees it as a renegade province that must be brought under the authority of the Communist Party by force if necessary.
Few countries have recognized Taiwan as an independent country. Neither does the US, but Washington does view Taiwan as a crucial partner. Therefore, it reserves the right to intervene if the status quo is threatened by China.
2023-07-29 03:02:21
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