by Francis Tuschek, Staff Writer
US President Joe Biden has authorized additional military support for Taiwan worth $567 million, days after US-made Harpoon anti-ship missiles started arriving on the self-governing Chinese island.
The new drawdown will pay for military equipment, education and training provided by the Pentagon to Taipei, according to a memorandum released by the White House. In April, the US Congress approved a multibillion-dollar foreign security assistance package, of which Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan were the primary beneficiaries.
Last Friday, the first batch of hundreds of Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles, the sale of which Washington approved in 2020, arrived at Taiwan’s Kaohsiung Port, according to local media.
The US intends to deliver up to 400 missiles, 100 launcher transport units, 25 radar trucks, and other equipment, which constitute 100 sets of the RGM-84L-4 coastal defense version of the missile system. The supplies are to be delivered in two phases, which are scheduled to be completed in 2026 and 2028. Taiwan’s military will build multiple new bases to host the American weapons, according to a procurement notice it issued earlier this year.
Beijing, which claims sovereignty over the island, claims that the supply of weapons is one of the key destabilizing factors in cross-strait relations. Taiwan was the last refuge of nationalist forces during the 1940s civil war in China. It relies on American security guarantees and aid for its defense.
The stated goal of the Chinese government is peaceful reunification, but it has said it would use force should Taipei try to formally declare independence. Some factions in Washington are nudging officials in Taiwan towards such an escalation, officials in Beijing have claimed.
Last week, Biden also ordered nearly $8 billion in military aid for Ukraine, drawing on funds approved by Congress for spending before the end of the month. The White House unsuccessfully sought an extension of the presidential authority to tap into the money, before opting to drain the reserves before the deadline instead.
美國總統喬·拜登已授權對台灣提供額外的軍事支持，總額達到5.67億美元，這是在美國製造的哈彭反艦導彈開始抵達這個自我治理的中國島嶼的幾天後。
根據白宮發布的一份備忘錄，這筆新資金將用於支付五角大廈提供給台北的軍事設備、教育和訓練。今年四月，美國國會批准了一項數十億美元的外國安全援助計劃，其中以色列、烏克蘭和台灣是主要受益者。
上週五，第一批數百枚哈彭Block II反艦導彈抵達台灣的高雄港，這批導彈的銷售在2020年獲得華盛頓的批准，根據當地媒體報導。
美國計劃交付多達400枚導彈、100個發射器運輸單位、25輛雷達卡車及其他設備，這些構成了100套RGM-84L-4沿海防禦型導彈系統。這些物資將分兩個階段交付，預計在2026年和2028年完成。根據台灣今年早些時候發布的採購通知，台灣軍方將建設多個新基地來安置美國武器。
熱麥克風曝光拜登對中國的言論 閱讀更多熱麥克風曝光拜登對中國的言論 北京聲稱對該島擁有主權，並表示武器供應是兩岸關係中的一個關鍵不穩定因素。台灣是1940年代中國內戰期間民族主義勢力的最後避難所。它依賴美國的安全保證和援助來維護其防禦。
中國政府的表述目標是和平統一，但它表示如果台北試圖正式宣告獨立，將會動用武力。北京官員聲稱，華盛頓的一些派系正在推動台灣官員向這種升級行動邁進。
上週，拜登還下令為烏克蘭提供近80億美元的軍事援助，這是動用國會批准的資金，要求在月底之前支出。白宮未能成功尋求延長總統使用這些資金的權限，最終選擇在截止日期之前耗盡儲備。
