Biden approves $567m military assistance for Taiwan

U.S. President Joe Biden directed a drawdown of up to US$567 million in defense items and services in support of Taiwan, the White House said in a statement late on Sunday.  

The memorandum signed by Joe Biden for the secretary of state read, “I hereby delegate to the Secretary of State the authority under section 506(a)(3) of the FAA to direct the drawdown of up to US$567 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan.  

The US administration will use the fastest tool available to deliver the aid: directly shipping its own stocks, a process it’s heavily relied on to support Ukraine’s self-defense. The US$567 million in military assistance dwarfs a package of US$345 million sent last year, according to Defense News.

While the United States does not officially recognize Taiwan diplomatically, it is Taipei's key partner and major provider of weapons -- a point of consternation for Beijing which has repeatedly called on Washington to stop arming the island, which it claims is part of its territory. 

The United States in April this year approved billions in military aid for Taiwan in the face of an increasingly assertive China which has upped military and political pressure on the island in recent years. 

Beijing has regularly expressed anger at international support for Taipei and accused Washington of meddling in its affairs. 

China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and maintains a near-daily presence of fighter jets, drones and warships around the island. 

Beijing has said it will never renounce the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control and has also ramped up rhetoric about "unification" being "inevitable".

(Reuters/AFP/Staff)