US Provides 440 Billion Won in Weapons Support to Taiwan... Strong Backlash Expected from China

U.S. Government Announces $340 Million Support Plan
First Case of Arms Support to Taiwan

The U.S. government announced a military aid plan for Taiwan worth 440 billion won. This is the first case of the U.S. providing weapons it possesses to Taiwan.

According to a report by Taiwan's Central News Agency on the 29th, the White House announced on the 28th (local time) a military aid plan for Taiwan worth $345 million (approximately 440 billion won).

The Central News Agency stated, "This is the first significant military aid from the Joe Biden administration to Taiwan, aimed at helping Taiwan counter China's military threats."

Earlier, the U.S. Department of Defense announced on the 29th of last month that it had approved two Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contracts related to Taiwan worth $440 million (approximately 560 billion won), including large-caliber artillery and related equipment, wheeled combat vehicles, and weapons.

Additionally, the U.S. Congress included a total of $1 billion (approximately 1.2 trillion won) in Taiwan security support funding in the fiscal year 2023 budget. The Biden administration can execute this using the "Presidential Drawdown Authority" (PDA), which can be activated without congressional approval in emergencies.

The U.S. government did not specify the types of weapons to be provided to Taiwan. However, the Central News Agency reported that "two U.S. officials who requested anonymity stated that portable air defense missiles (MANPADS), intelligence and reconnaissance equipment, firearms, and missiles will be provided to Taiwan." Support for security, education, and training is also included.

MQ-9 drone Photo by Yonhap News

Another foreign media outlet reported on the 27th that "multiple sources indicate that the military aid package may include four MQ-9 Reaper drones."

Developed by the U.S. defense contractor General Atomics, this drone is a large unmanned aerial vehicle with a total length of 11 meters and a wingspan of 22 meters. It can stay over a target at an altitude of 15 km for more than 24 hours, making it useful for reconnaissance, and it also has excellent precision strike capabilities. The average price per unit is about $28 million (approximately 35.9 billion won).

However, there is also a possibility that this drone will be excluded from the final list of military aid to Taiwan. U.S. authorities are reportedly considering restricting some advanced equipment installed on the MQ-9 drones for use only by the U.S. Air Force.

China is expected to strongly oppose the U.S.'s successive military support for Taiwan. China regards Taiwan as its own territory to be recovered and has stated it will not hesitate to use force for unification. For this reason, it has reacted sensitively to the military closeness between the U.S. and Taiwan.

Regarding the recent visit of Lai Ching-te, the vice president and next presidential candidate of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, to Paraguay via the U.S., the Chinese government strongly responded by stating, "We firmly oppose any official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan."

Subsequently, from the 14th to the 15th, the Chinese People's Liberation Army deployed a record number of 16 warships and 15 aircraft to patrol the waters near Taiwan. This is analyzed as a kind of military demonstration protesting the exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.