US proceeds with arms sale to Taiwan

KAOSHUNG: The Biden administration’s first arms sales to the island of Taiwan, featuring some howitzers, are proceeding, Taiwan media reported, which sent a wrong and dangerous signal to Taiwan secessionists and “added fuel” to highly strained China-US and Cross-Strait relations, Chinese mainland experts said.

But the experts pointed out no matter what kind of weapons the island buys, the gap in the military capability across the Straits cannot be changed.

The American Institute in Taiwan informed the separatist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) the deal of the M109A6 Paladin selfpropelled howitzers will be submitted to the US Congress “soon” and the weapons are expected to be commissioned between 202325, Taiwan news website udn. com reported.

It did not specify the amount of the equipment or value of the deal. The alleged deal may become the first arms sales to Taiwan by the Biden administration, three months after Joe Biden took office. There is no official confirmation about the sales from the US as of press time.

Observers noted the process of the deal comes earlier than previous US administrations, even the most “radical and provocative former Trump administration.” Donald Trump’s approval of the first arms sales to Taiwan, which totaled $1.4 billion, was released in June 2017 by the US.

Xin Qiang, deputy director of the Center for US Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai, told the Global Times on Monday the early sales are in line with the Biden administration’s strategy of visibly playing the “Taiwan card.” The deal will meet few barriers at the administrative level.

Wei Dongxu, a Beijing-based military expert, told the Global Times on Monday that by selling arms to the island of Taiwan, the US is not only instigating Taiwan secessionists to create more estrangement and trouble between the Chinese mainland and the island but also letting US arms dealers earn huge amounts of money.

Xin noted the Biden administration, through the arms sales, wanted to show promises to the island, deter the Chinese mainland amid the intense situation and pacify the US’ China hawks but the action “added fuel to flames” when both Cross-Straits and China-US relations are highly strained.

Biden has sent an “unofficial delegation” of a former senator and secretaries of state to the island last week and mentioned Taiwan in a joint statement with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, the first since Eisaku Sato and Richard Nixon’s meeting in 1969.