In what will be seen by China as an escalation of war, the United States will deliver more weapons to Taiwan under the incoming Trump administration. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has confirmed that the president-elect intends to give the island, currently at odds with China over its sovereignty, all the defense systems it has paid for. This move highlights the frequent U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
China’s leaders have repeatedly condemned United States arms sales to Taipei as “destabilizing and provocative.” In response to the weapons agreements, China has conducted frequent naval and aerial drills around the island as a way of showing force against U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
Speaking at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington on Tuesday, Waltz, a Florida Congressman, stated: “We have over a $20 billion backlog of things that they paid for and that we need to work hard to free up and have them get what they paid for as a deterrent measure. The backlog is mainly due to the extensive nature of U.S. arms sales.”
Hellbound and Down 