Rubio: Hopes to Maintain Status Quo, U.S. Taiwan Policy Unchanged; $14 Billion Pending Arms Sale Still Under Review

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Tuesday during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the U.S. policy toward Taiwan has not changed, and Washington aims to maintain the status quo.

Rubio told senators, "First, I want to emphasize what I’ve already expressed during my recent trip to China or upon returning home: The U.S. policy toward Taiwan has undergone no change. Clearly, Beijing hopes for a shift in wording, but there has been no such alteration."

Rubio added, "Second, I know that in December of this year (last year), we approved an arms sale to Taiwan worth $11 billion. I believe this is the largest single arms sale in history to Taiwan—an enormous arms transfer. This occurred just last December. In my view, this single sale exceeds the total amount of arms sales to Taiwan during the entire Biden administration, and I recall that during the Obama administration, there was a six-year period with no arms sales to Taiwan."

To a senator who asked about it, Rubio said, "There is a second pending arms sale—I assume you’re referring to the $14 billion one. It is still under review. But we just completed a major arms sale last December, so it’s unfair to claim we haven’t provided anything. We’ve just finished a massive, highly significant arms sale—so large and so notable... As I mentioned, if I’m not mistaken, this sale alone surpasses the total value of all arms sales to Taiwan throughout the entire Biden administration. I believe this statement is accurate."

Rubio emphasized, "But most importantly, it must be understood that we aim to maintain the status quo—that is our policy, and we have consistently said so, and will continue to do so in the future. As you know, this relationship requires a very delicate balance, but our policy on Taiwan has not changed, nor did it change during this visit."

Source: sputniknews

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866928478151744/

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