WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Joe Biden agreed on Friday to provide $571.3 million in defense support for Taiwan, the White House said, while the State Department approved the potential sale of $265 million worth of military equipment to the island.
The United States is obligated by law to provide Taiwan, which China claims, with the means to defend itself despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei, which has drawn Beijing's continuing anger.
Democratically ruled Taiwan rejects China's claims of sovereignty.
China has intensified its military pressure on Taiwan, including daily military activities near the island and two rounds of war exercises this year.
Taiwan declared a state of alert last week in response to what it said was China's largest build-up of naval forces in three decades around Taiwan and in the East and South China Seas.
The White House said in a statement that Biden delegated to the Secretary of State the authority “to direct the withdrawal of up to $571.3 million in defense materials and services to the Department of Defense and Military Education and Training to provide assistance to Taiwan.” Statement without providing details.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry thanked the United States for its “strict security guarantees,” saying in a statement that the two sides will continue to work closely on security issues to ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait.
The State Department has approved the potential sale to Taiwan of about $265 million worth of command, control, communications and computer modernization equipment, the Pentagon said.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry said the sale of the equipment would help modernize its command and control systems.
Taiwan's Defense Ministry also said on Saturday that the US government had approved the purchase of $30 million worth of parts for a 76mm automatic cannon that it said would bolster the island's ability to confront China's “gray zone” warfare.
