Taiwan happy with US aid package, China objects to arms sales
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[April 24, 2024]
By Ben Blanchard and Liz Lee
TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) -Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on
Wednesday she was happy the U.S. Congress had passed a sweeping foreign
aid package which includes arms support for the island, as China urged
Washington to stop selling weapons to Taipei.
The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer and
arms supplier even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties. China,
which views Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly demanded arms
sales stop.
The Senate approved by 79 to 18 four bills passed by the House of
Representatives on Saturday, after House Republican leaders abruptly
switched course last week and allowed a vote on the $95 billion in
mostly military aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and U.S. partners in
the Indo-Pacific.
Meeting visiting U.S. lawmakers at the presidential office in Taipei,
Tsai referred to the passage of the bills at the weekend.
"We are also very happy that the Senate has just passed these bills,"
she said.
Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said areas where the money is to be
spent, such as training or equipment, would be discussed with the United
States.
"The United States has expressed goodwill, and it needs to be negotiated
between us," he told parliament.
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China says Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing's sovereignty
claims, is a purely internal matter and the most sensitive and important
issue in ties with the United States.
In Beijing, China's Taiwan Affairs Office expressed anger at the bills,
which President Joe Biden said he would sign into law on Wednesday.
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Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during the Ketagalan forum in
Taipei, Taiwan August 8, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File
Photo
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The bills "send the wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist
forces, and we are resolutely opposed to it", spokesperson Zhu
Fenglian told reporters.
"We urge the United States to take concrete actions to fulfill its
commitment not to support Taiwan independence and to stop arming
Taiwan in any way," she added.
The strengthening of "military collusion" between the United States
and Taiwan would not bring security for the island, China's foreign
ministry said.
"It will only push up tensions and the risk of conflict and
confrontation in the Taiwan Strait," said spokesperson Wang Wenbin.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in China on Wednesday
for a visit, with Taiwan likely to be one of the topics for
discussion.
Taiwan has protested for the past four years about stepped up
Chinese military activity near the island, including almost daily
missions by Chinese warplanes and warships.
However, since 2022, Taiwan has complained of delays in deliveries
of U.S. weapons such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as
manufacturers focused on supplying Ukraine to help it battle
invading Russian forces.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Liz Lee; Additional reporting by Joe
Cash in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
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