The US has agreed to sell $1.1bn (£955m) worth of weaponry to Taiwan, drawing the ire of China. The proposed deal includes a radar system to track incoming attacks and anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles.
It comes after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi became the highest-ranking US official in 25 years to visit Taipei. The Chinese embassy in Washington called on the United States to revoke the agreement or face “countermeasures.”
Spokesman Liu Pengyu said the deal “gravely jeopardizes” relations between Washington and Beijing. “China will resolutely take legitimate and necessary countermeasures in light of the development of the situation,” he added.
Beijing sees the autonomous island as part of its territory and insists it must be unified with the mainland by force if necessary. It launched large-scale military exercises in Taiwan last month, following a visit by the US delegation.
The US arms sale agreed on Friday has yet to be voted on by the strongly pro-Taiwan US Congress. The package includes a $655 million radar warning system and $355 million for 60 Harpoon missiles capable of sinking ships.
The Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency includes $85.6 million for Sidewinder surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles.
A State Department spokesman said the deal was “essential to Taiwan’s security” and urged Beijing to “cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue.”
“These proposed sales are routine cases to support Taiwan’s continued efforts to modernize its military and maintain a credible defensive capability,” the spokesman said.
The Pentagon last month created a task force to help expedite US arms sales to foreign allies, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
US lawmakers say requests made by Taiwan years ago have not been met. Among the delays are the Harpoon and Stinger missiles, which have been shipped to Ukraine instead, according to Defense News.
In another move likely to anger Beijing, the Biden administration said it would keep, for now, billions of dollars in tariffs on Chinese imports that were enacted during the Trump administration.
The US Trade Representative’s office said it had received requests to uphold the 2018-19 tariffs from companies and other interested parties. US officials had considered revoking the tariffs, citing the need to ease inflation.
On Friday, President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve $13.7 billion in emergency funding for Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia. The Pentagon said last week that total US military aid to Ukraine had already exceeded $13 billion.