Current:Home > MarketsUS OKs military aid to Taiwan under program usually reserved for sovereign nations -FundPrime
US OKs military aid to Taiwan under program usually reserved for sovereign nations
Oliver James Montgomery View
Date:2025-04-11 09:59:35
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has approved the first-ever U.S. military transfer to Taiwan under a program generally reserved for assistance to sovereign, independent states.
The State Department notified Congress of the sale on Wednesday. It said the material would “be used to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities through joint and combined defense capability and enhanced maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability.”
The package is modest — only $80 million of what Congress had set aside as a potential $2 billion — but the implications of using the so-called Foreign Military Financing program to provide it will likely infuriate China.
Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, has repeatedly not ruled out the use of force to reunite it with the mainland and vociferously protests all U.S. arms sales to the self-governing island.
However, previous arms sales to Taiwan have been approved under other authorities that do not necessarily imply statehood. U.S. officials were quick to say that the provision of FMF funding to Taiwan did not represent a change in policy. It’s a position the Chinese are sure to disagree with.
The only other time the U.S. has provided a non-nation-state with military assistance under FMF was to the African Union, an organization of sovereign states based in Ethiopia, according to American officials.
The notification, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, did not specify what military equipment or systems would be paid for under FMF, which commits U.S. taxpayer dollars to pay for the supply of materiel to foreign countries.
But, it said items that could be covered would include: air and coastal defense systems, armored vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, drones, ballistic missile and cyber defenses, and advanced communications equipment. It added that protective gear, an array of small, medium and heavy weapons systems, ammunition, armored and infantry fighting vehicles could also be included.
In addition to equipment, FMF may also be used to support training for Taiwanese military forces.
veryGood! (14385)
Related
- Military service academies see drop in reported sexual assaults after alarming surge
- ‘The View’ co-hosts come out swinging at Donald Trump a day after he insulted them
- Is Travis Kelce Going to Star in a Rom-Com Next? He Says…
- Last Chance! Hailey Bieber-Approved HexClad Cookware Deals Will Sell Out Soon—Shop Before Prime Day Ends!
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- More than 2 million without power as Hurricane Milton slams Florida, causes deaths and flooding
- A federal judge will hear more evidence on whether to reopen voter registration in Georgia
- Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to make first appearance before trial judge in sex trafficking case
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Mandy Moore, choreographer of Eras Tour, helps revamp Vegas show
Ranking
- Macy's says employee who allegedly hid $150 million in expenses had no major 'impact'
- Here's the one thing 'Saturday Night' director Jason Reitman implored his actors not to do
- McDonald's Chicken Big Mac debuts this week: Here's what's on it and when you can get one
- Honda recalling almost 1.7 million vehicles over 'sticky' steering issue
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Stanley Tucci Shares The One Dish Wife Felicity Blunt Won’t Let Him Cook for Christmas
- The Daily Money: Revisiting California's $20 minimum wage
- 'God's got my back': Some Floridians defy evacuation orders as Hurricane Milton nears
Recommendation
Could your smelly farts help science?
‘The View’ co-hosts come out swinging at Donald Trump a day after he insulted them
Last Chance: Score Best-Selling Bodysuits Under $20 Before Amazon Prime Day 2024 Ends
Last Chance! Hailey Bieber-Approved HexClad Cookware Deals Will Sell Out Soon—Shop Before Prime Day Ends!
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Here’s what has made Hurricane Milton so fierce and unusual
A former DEA agent is convicted of protecting drug traffickers
Bacon hogs the spotlight in election debates, but reasons for its sizzling inflation are complex