The White House has announced an 11-billion-dollar weapons sales package for Taiwan. It's the second such deal under the current Trump administration and is likely to further strain relations between the U.S. and China.

Washington

The United States has announced an $11 billion arms deal with Taiwan, marking the largest such package to date. The agreement includes self-propelled howitzers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, loitering munition drones, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), with the latter valued at approximately $4 billion. 

China has issued a strong protest against the deal, stating it violates the one-China principle and undermines regional stability. The arms sale still requires approval from the US Congress, where it is expected to receive broad bipartisan support.

U.S. riles China with $11 billion arms deal for Taiwan

It's scenes like these that have Taipei sounding the alarm. China has been increasingly flexing its military muscle over Taiwan in recent years, with military drills and regular incursions into its waters and airspace. Beijing sees self-governed Taiwan as a breakaway province and has long vowed to regain control of the island. Taiwan says it needs more military might to deter any attempt by Beijing to do this, and has again called on Washington for support. This latest arms package is the largest yet from the US, and the White House says the sale serves the United States' national, economic and security interests. In a statement online, Taiwan's defence ministry thanked the Trump administration and detailed some of the military kit it was buying. The deal covers self-propelled howitzers, Javelin anti-tank missiles, loitering munition drones, and parts for other equipment. It also contains the much-sought-after High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, which are a loan worth some $4 billion. China responded furiously to the news of the deal, saying no one should underestimate China's resolve on Taiwan. The US side has openly announced a large-scale programme to procure advanced weapons, which violates the one-China principle and the Sino-US joint communiques. This severely undermines China's sovereignty, security and territorial integrity, and significantly harms the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait. The arms deal proposal still officially needs to be approved by the US Congress, but it's expected to get widespread support given the cross-party consensus on Taiwan's defence.

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