US okays sale of military equipment worth $108 mn to Taiwan despite China's objections

In a major setback for China, the United States has green-lighted the potential sale of military weapons and other services to Taiwan, the Pentagon announced on Friday. According to a Kyodo News report, the US State Department has approved the sale of $108 million worth of spare and repair parts for tanks and other assistance to the self-ruled democratic island that Beijing claims as its own.

This move will contribute to the "sustainment of the recipient's vehicles, small arms, combat weapon systems, and logistical support items, enhancing its ability to meet current and future threats," an agency under the Defense Department said in a press release. This comes after Taiwan's embassy in the United States requested war equipment.

Notably, this sale will not only strengthen the security power of Taipei, but it will also help the country maintain its military capability while further enhancing interoperability with the United States and other partners, said the press release. After the civil war that occurred in 1949, Taiwan and mainland China are governed separately, but China sees Taiwan as part of its own and believes that it will one day be reunified, by force if required.

In 1979, America shifted its diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to Beijing. However, Washington continues to maintain unofficial relations with Taipei and continues to help the democratic island maintain a sufficient self-defence capability.

Tensions between China and Taiwan

The relationship between China and Taiwan has been controversial due to the political dispute over land, which is directly associated with the official status of Taiwan. At the end of World War 2, Taiwan was transferred from Japan to China in 1945. The PRC and ROC split after the Chinese Civil War. At the same time, the Republic of China government led by the Kuomintang (KMT) retreated to Taiwan and established the provisional capital in Taipei. 

After this incident, the relationship between Beijing and Taipei has remained unstable and controversial. However, on several occasions, China has asked the democratic island to get unified with China, but Taipei has always chosen to be an independent state, which China says will not last for very long. 

(Image: AP/Representative)