China said the United States is turning Taiwan into a “powder keg.” According to U.S. military strategy, that’s the idea.
On July 28, the Biden White House announced it is sending Taiwan $345 million in military aid. President Joe Biden is using his authority to draw from current U.S. stockpiles to send the weapons quickly. It’s a similar practice to how the U.S. has been able to arm Ukraine so quickly with certain weapons.
The U.S. is sending mostly missiles and man-portable air defense systems to Taiwan, although rifles, ISR capabilities, education and training are also included in the aid deal. The American government’s official “One China” policy doesn’t recognize Taiwan as an independent nation, but U.S. law requires a credible defense of the island.
The $345 million package is in addition to the $19 billion in major weapons systems like F-16s Taiwan has already bought from the U.S.
Supply chain issues and COVID-related complications resulted in delivery delays. Still, enough U.S. weaponry has been delivered to Taiwan that it’s catching the ire of the People’s Republic of China.
China still views Taiwan as part of its sovereign territory. Chinese President Xi Jinping said on multiple occasions he is committed to using military force to reunify the island if necessary.
Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said in a statement, “No matter how much of the ordinary people’s taxpayer money the…Taiwanese separatist forces spend, no matter how many U.S. weapons, it will not shake our resolve to solve the Taiwan problem. Or shake our firm will to realize reunification of our motherland. Their actions are turning Taiwan into a powder keg and ammunition depot, aggravating the threat of war in the Taiwan Strait.”
The thing is, if China sees Taiwan as a powder keg, then the U.S. strategy is working. The idea is to arm Taiwan so much so that an invasion would be too costly for China.
The Pentagon said one of the lessons learned from Ukraine is weapon stockpiles are best built before bullets and barrages bear down. Taiwan is an island, so if a conflict kicks off, resupplying troops there will be nearly impossible.
Not all roads necessarily lead to war, though. On the Kinmen Islands, which are controlled by Taiwan, The Guardian reported there’s a growing movement to build a bridge to mainland China.
The 70,000 or so residents living on Kinmen depend on China for some of their power and water. Chinese tourists to Kinmen are also a big economic driver.
Taiwan is roughly 100 miles off the coast of China. The Kinmen Islands are much closer, only about three miles away from Xiamen. A politician running for election on Kinmen said a bridge with China could connect more than just land masses, it could be a path to creating a demilitarized zone on Kinmen.
If a conflict erupted between China and Taiwan, though, Kinmen would be on the frontlines of any attack. Taiwan’s ruling party criticized the bridge proposal, calling it a Trojan Horse that would endanger Taiwan’s national security.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
