Taiwan yesterday thanked the US for approving a military transfer of US$80 million under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program which, foreign media said, is normally used for sovereign states.
The US Department of State on Wednesday notified the US Congress of the aid, saying that the items provided through the FMF would “be used to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities through joint and combined defense capability and enhanced maritime domain awareness and maritime security capability,” The Associated Press (AP) reported yesterday.
After years of assisting Taiwan through its Foreign Military Sales program, this is the first time the US is providing military aid under the FMF to Taiwan.
Photo: EPA
The transfer is part of the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act, which US President Joe Biden signed in December, that allows up to US$2 billion in direct loans to Taiwan for military purposes.
The AP said that although the package is “modest” in amount, “the implications of using the so-called Foreign Military Financing program to provide it will likely infuriate China.”
“FMF simply enables eligible partner nations to purchase US defense articles, services, and training through either Foreign Military Sales or, for a limited number of countries, through the foreign military financing of direct commercial contracts program,” The AP quoted two US officials as saying on condition of anonymity.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The language used in the aid “implied that Taiwan is or could be compared to a ‘nation’ or a ‘country,’” The AP said, adding that the only other time the US has provided military assistance under the FMF to a non-nation-state was to the African Union.
A State Department spokesperson told the Central News Agency that the aid is in compliance with the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) and the US’ long-held “one China” policy remains unchanged.
US Representative Michael McCaul, chairman of the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that he was glad the Biden administration decided to provide the aid to Taiwan.
“These weapons will not only help Taiwan and protect other democracies in the region, but also strengthen the US’ deterrence posture and ensure our national security from an increasingly aggressive CCP,” he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.
The notification provided to the US Congress said that the items that would be paid for under FMF might include: air and coastal defense systems, armored vehicles, infantry fighting vehicles, drones, ballistic missile and cyber defenses, and advanced communications equipment, The AP said.
The fund might also be used to pay for protective gear, an array of small, medium and heavy weapons systems, ammunition, armored and infantry fighting vehicles, as well as training for Taiwanese military forces, it said.
The package followed the military assistance of US$345 million provided by the US to Taiwan in July through the Presidential Drawdown Authority that the US Congress authorized last year and the US$500 million arms sale package, which includes F-16 Infrared Search and Track systems, to the nation earlier this month.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for helping Taiwan strengthen its self-defense capabilities based on the TRA and the “six assurances.”
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