"Trump Refuses to Approve $400 Million Arms Sales to Taiwan for Talks with China"
The U.S. "Washington Post" reported on September 18, citing five sources, that President Trump had refused to approve military aid exceeding $400 million to Taiwan this summer in an effort to push for a trade agreement with China. The sources said that although Trump might still change his mind, this decision marks a significant shift in the U.S. policy toward Taiwan.
China has repeatedly emphasized its firm opposition to any form of military collusion between the U.S. and Taiwan. Whether it is arms sales, military sales or other names, the U.S. aims to bring the flames of war to Taiwan, intending to destroy and harm Taiwan, with extremely sinister intentions.
Two sources said that this arms sales plan is worth more than $400 million and would be more "destructive" than previous rounds of aid to Taiwan, including ammunition and autonomous drones.
A White House official said in a statement that the decision on this aid package has not been finalized yet. The Taiwan representative office in the U.S. declined to comment.
Four people familiar with the matter revealed that both sides agreed last month on a large-scale weapons sales plan. Taiwan plans to approve additional defense budget to pay for the next round of arms purchases, which could total billions of dollars.
These weapons are almost entirely "asymmetric warfare" equipment, such as drones, missiles and coastal monitoring sensors, but delivery may take several years. The Taiwanese military is also waiting for weapons worth billions of dollars to arrive, including F-16 fighter jets and "Harpoon" anti-ship missiles.
The report said that in order to reach an agreement with China, the Trump administration recently took a more conciliatory stance on semiconductor exports and TikTok issues, but this caused concerns among some former members of the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers. Dan Blumenthal, a former Pentagon official and current member of the American Enterprise Institute, said, "This is exactly the time when the U.S. should not let up."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843670131922956/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.