Trump Administration Advances Massive Arms Sale to Taiwan Amid Tensions With Beijing

The Trump administration is reportedly advancing a massive arms sales to Taiwan as White House tensions with Beijing are rising.

According to the Washington Post, “The State Department late Thursday submitted the package for informal review, said the people familiar with the sale.”

The $8 billion package includes 66 F-16 fighter jets and tees up the possibility that China could sanction the U.S. companies involved in the weapons sales.

Democratic and Republican lawmakers, the Post continued, “questioned whether the White House would scuttle the sale to soften the ground for a U.S.-China trade deal, or otherwise use the fighter jets as a bargaining chip in deadlocked negotiations.”

As CNN reported,

President Donald Trump, however, has taken a different approach from previous administrations by ramping up arms sales to Taiwan. Writing at South China Morning Post last month, Cary Huang laid out the contrast.

That July sale was worth $2.2 billion and included over 100 Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger missiles.

Reuters reported Thursday on what Taiwan sees as a backdrop for the weapons aquisition:

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The new potential arms sale came the same day as Taiwan announced its biggest defense budget.

“To react to the enemy’s threat and to ensure national security,” Taiwan’s defense ministry said in a statement, “the defense budget continues to grow stably.”