Soldiers stand next to various missiles designed to neutralize enemy ships and planes.
(Photo: dpa)
Tokyo After China’s threatening gestures in the conflict over Taiwan, the USA is now also relying on military strength. First, US President Joe Biden sent two US warships into the Taiwan Straits claimed by China. According to an American media report, a $1.1 billion arms deal is now in the offing.
As the magazine “Politico” reports, the government intends to ask Congress for approval for large arms deliveries. Among other things, Taiwan is to receive 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles.
If the deal goes through, it would be Biden’s largest arms export to Taiwan. The prompt reaction of the Chinese embassy in Washington shows how explosive these deliveries are. Taiwan’s China Times newspaper quoted Chinese embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu as saying the United States must “immediately end arms sales and military contacts with Taiwan.” China will take “strong measures” to resolutely defend its sovereignty and security interests.
This brings the conflict into another round. After US top politician Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in early August, China launched unprecedented military maneuvers that are still ongoing to simulate an invasion.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
China sees the democratically governed island as part of the People’s Republic. Taiwan, on the other hand, sees itself as independent. Although the US only recognizes China diplomatically, they are strategically interested in Taiwan’s continued existence.
After China’s maneuvers, the US President is also relying on military strength.
(Photo: dpa)
In 1979, with the Taiwan Relations Act, the USA assured its former ally that it would support the island in defending itself against an attack. In the treaty, the United States left it open as to whether they would also send troops in an emergency. But arms exports have been the norm ever since.
Biden’s biggest deal is almost modest by historical standards. The largest shipment to date included weapons worth $18 billion. But given the growing Chinese superiority, military needs are shifting. According to military experts, should there be a conflict, it will not be carried out conventionally, but asymmetrically.
Taiwan would have little chance in a conventional war
It is about the use of relatively inexpensive systems to destroy expensive combat aircraft or ships. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has spoken of turning the island into a “porcupine” in the event of a Chinese attack in order to raise the cost of an invasion for Beijing to unacceptable levels. In a conventional war, on the other hand, the island would hardly stand a chance. China’s defense budget was $250 billion in 2019, while Taiwan’s was just $11 billion.
On the one hand, Taiwan’s strategy includes extending the very short period of conscription in order to increase the number of military personnel. On the other hand, Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chui Kuo-Cheng is relying on longer-range missiles that can also reach China’s capital Beijing.
The US military are also increasingly urging their allies to rely less on classic combat systems such as helicopters or submarines. Lighter, mobile weapons, such as those used by Ukraine in the war against Russia, are considered an alternative.
These asymmetric weapons include Stinger missiles, heavy torpedoes, high-mobility artillery missile systems, Paladin howitzers, MS-110 reconnaissance pods, and field information communications systems. They are more difficult to take out by an attacker than stationary facilities. In addition, Taiwan is to receive Harpoon Block II ground-launched missiles and SLAM-ER air-launched missiles from the US. Cost: three billion dollars.
On Sunday, US forces sent warships through the Taiwan Straits for the first time since Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
(Photo: AP)
If US parliamentarians have their way, US arms build-up in Taiwan could accelerate. US Senator Marsha Blackburn said during her visit to Taiwan that she wants a new law to make it easier for arms to be shipped to the country. To this end, she introduced the “Taiwan Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act” to the US Congress. The law is intended to deter and warn Beijing, said the politician, who is a member of the Senate Armed Forces Committee.
However, it would be of great help to Taiwan if the weapons already agreed upon were actually delivered. According to the American specialist publication DefenseNews, military equipment worth $14 billion of the $17 billion in supplies promised since 2019 is still outstanding.
More: Military maneuvers by Russia and China: Should the West fear Putin’s alliance with Xi?