US to send $500M military aid to Taiwan.

Biden Administration Prepares $500 Million Weapons Package for Taiwan

The Biden administration is reportedly preparing a $500 million weapons package for Taiwan, using a fast-track authority that it has relied on to speed arms to Ukraine. The package will involve sending existing stockpiles of US weapons or support equipment to Taiwan under what’s known as a Presidential Drawdown Authority. This will allow the US to sidestep the often-lengthy process of contracting and producing weapons, which has resulted in a $19 billion backlog in armaments that have been approved but not yet delivered to Taiwan. Congress authorized President Joe Biden to use as much as $1 billion in US inventory for the island democracy in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, and lawmakers have complained the administration has been slow to use that authority.

Concerns Over China’s Military Modernization

The Biden administration and its allies have grown increasingly concerned about the pace of China’s military modernization and have warned that the country’s leaders want its armed forces to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines have said they don’t see an effort by China to seize Taiwan by force as imminent. The request is likely to anger China and cuts against President Joe Biden’s effort to restore stability to contacts with Beijing. The administration has requested a meeting between Austin and his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu on the sidelines of the Shangri-La forum in Singapore in June. Most high-level communication stalled after an alleged Chinese spy balloon traversed the continental US in February.

Analyst Quote

Eric Sayers, a nonresident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the money was “a good start but I expect the Congress will push for the administration to use the full $1 billion they authorized.” “This should be viewed as a good first step to use these new authorities to begin to expeditiously address shortfalls in cross-strait deterrence,” Sayers added.

Conclusion

The move by the Biden administration to prepare a $500 million weapons package for Taiwan is likely to anger China and cuts against President Joe Biden’s effort to restore stability to contacts with Beijing. However, the administration and its allies have grown increasingly concerned about the pace of China’s military modernization and have warned that the country’s leaders want its armed forces to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027.

• Using a drawdown will let the US sidestep the often-lengthy process of contracting and producing weapons
• Congress authorized President Joe Biden to use as much as $1 billion in US inventory for the island democracy in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act
• The Biden administration and its allies have grown increasingly concerned about the pace of China’s military modernization
• Most high-level communication stalled after an alleged Chinese spy balloon traversed the continental US in February

Overall, this move should be viewed as a good first step to use these new authorities to begin to expeditiously address shortfalls in cross-strait deterrence.