Q: According to reports, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency of the US Department of Defense announced on April 5 that the US has approved the sale of military technology and related equipment totaling US$95 million to Taiwan to provide personnel and technical assistance for Taiwan’s Patriot air defense missile system. Any comments on this please?
A: The US arms sales to China’s Taiwan region seriously violated the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiqués, especially the “August 17” communique, grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, seriously damaged China’s sovereignty and security interests, and seriously undermined China and the US The relationship between the two countries and the two militaries and the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait are firmly opposed to this, and China has lodged solemn representations with the US side.
Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. The Taiwan issue concerns China’s core interests, and no foreign interference is allowed. The Chinese side urges the US side to abide by the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiques, immediately withdraw the above-mentioned arms sales plan to Taiwan, and stop the US-Taiwan military ties, so as to avoid further damage to the relationship between the two countries and the two militaries. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army will take effective measures to resolutely thwart any form of external interference and “Taiwan independence” separatist attempts, and resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced on the 5th that it approved the sale of the “Patriot Project Personnel Technical Assistance Case” for a total price of US$95 million (regarding NT$2.724 billion). DSCA said in a press release that Taiwan requested the purchase of technical assistance support, including the maintenance, operation and planning of the Patriot air defense system, equipment and logistics, and the main contractor is Raytheon. The United States also said that the proposed arms sale would help Taiwan maintain its missile density, contribute to regional political stability, military balance, economy and progress, “Taiwan can use it to deter regional threats and strengthen its defense of its homeland.” It is self-evident who it is aimed at.
The DPP authorities, like before, jumped out from a bunch of departments to “grateful”. Taiwan’s “Presidential Office” expressed “sincere thanks”, saying that this not only once once more demonstrated the “rock solid” of the Taiwan-US partnership, but also fully demonstrated that the US government attaches great importance to Taiwan’s “defense” needs. Taiwan’s “Ministry of Foreign Affairs” and “Ministry of Defense” said they would like to thank the U.S. government for its continued implementation of the “Taiwan Relations Act” and “Six Assurances” for its security commitments to Taiwan.
This is the third arms sale to Taiwan under the Biden administration and the second this year. Previously, on February 7 this year, DSCA announced the approval of the sale of the Patriot missile project to Taiwan. The United States continued to send technical representatives to Taiwan to evaluate and maintain the Patriot, with a budget of US$100 million. It and April are both regarding the Patriot missile sales case. The difference is that the arms sales in February were mainly equipment and services for the missile engineering service and effectiveness testing program, while the arms sales this time were dispatched to Professionals come to Taiwan to provide technical support.
Taiwan has always wanted to buy this AGM-158 missile from the United States.Taiwan’s “Patriot 2” missile was purchased in a commercial mode in 1996. At that time, only 3 sets of systems were purchased. Later, in 2007, the “Patriot 3” system was purchased by the “Swift Front Project” for arms sales. And to improve the performance of the original “Patriot 2”, the US DSCA announced that the arms sales amount was 5.8 billion US dollars, breaking the Taiwan-US military procurement record at that time. In March last year, Taiwan’s “Ministry of Defense” also confirmed that following discussions, Taiwan and the United States decided to purchase additional “Patriot 3” extended-range missiles, and plan to complete the delivery and deployment in batches from 2025 to 2026.
Jie Zhong, an adjunct assistant professor at the Institute of Strategy at Tamkang University in Taiwan, analyzed that it is not ruled out that the U.S. will dispatch early personnel through the April arms sale to carry out system improvements for the existing “Patriot” missiles of the Taiwan military, and establish basic maintenance and training for the Taiwan military. personnel and other energy, in order to facilitate the smooth operation of the “Patriot 3” extended-range missile at that time. Taiwan military scholar Su Ziyun believes that the “Patriot” missile can stop the People’s Liberation Army’s “first strike” once morest Taiwan militarily and protect Taiwan’s key infrastructure.
Lin Yingyou, a scholar at Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung, pointed out the key to this arms sale. He said that many people will question “Taiwan’s own research and development is good, why should it buy from the United States”, but the advantage of using US-made weapons is that “the data link can be shared with the United States. provided data to fight once morest Russia”. Lin Yingyou also said that whether the US will share the data link is one thing, but not using the US system. If something goes wrong in the Taiwan Strait, it may affect the smoothness of the US providing data to assist in combat.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao LijianIn response to the US-Taiwan arms sales, the mainland has responded strongly. At a press conference on the 6th, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian criticized the relevant actions of the United States for seriously undermining China’s sovereignty, Sino-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and seriously violating the one-China principle and the three Sino-US joint communiqués, especially the August 17th Communiqué China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it. He demanded that the U.S. side cancel the above-mentioned arms sales plan, stop arms sales to Taiwan and military ties between the U.S. and Taiwan, and said that China will take resolute and forceful measures to resolutely defend its own sovereignty and security interests.
The spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, Ma Xiaoguang, responded in writing on the 6th that the DPP authorities colluded with external forces to seek “independence” provocations, attempted to “reject reunification by force,” and used the hard-earned money of Taiwan compatriots to buy weapons and seek political self-interest. Taiwan compatriots pushed into the fire pit step by step. On February 21 this year, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced that it would implement countermeasures once morest the actions of Raytheon Technologies and Lockheed Martin, which have long been involved in U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.
Since the U.S. and Taiwan “severed diplomatic ties” in 1979, the U.S. has sold more than 100 arms to Taiwan, including more than a dozen during Trump’s tenure alone, totaling more than $20 billion. Since Biden took office, he has announced three times Arms sales to Taiwan. Huge arms sales have become a heavy burden on the people of Taiwan. Taking the “Patriot” missile as an example, the cost of arms sales is not counted. Only 3 missile positions are built in Taipei, and the cost is calculated in NT$10 billion; They are also not allowed to test-fire in Taiwan, go to the United States, and are subject to others everywhere. The United News Network mightn’t help but question on the 6th, at the moment of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, what is the significance of this arms sale case, or is the propaganda greater than the substance?
Taiwan’s future lies in national reunification, and the “blank promises” of those external forces are unreliable following all. Be willing to be a “chess piece” for others, and ultimately cannot escape the fate of “abandoned child”. A poll released by Taiwan recently showed that only 35% of the respondents believed that if a conflict broke out in the Taiwan Strait, the United States would send troops to help defend it, a sharp drop of 30.5% from October last year. It can be said that most Taiwanese people do not believe that the United States will go all out for Taiwan.
