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Biden approves $567M in defense support for Taiwan, White House says

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Biden approves 7M in defense support for Taiwan, White House says

President Joe Biden on Sunday approved $567 million in defense support for Taiwan, the White House said, the latest move by the United States to boost the island’s military in the face of rising tensions with China.

The United States is Taiwan’s most important international backer and arms supplier even in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

President Biden speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., on Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024. AP

China has repeatedly demanded Washington stop selling weapons to Taipei, which it claims as its territory.

In a statement, the White House said Biden had delegated the Secretary of State the authority “to direct the drawdown of up to $567 million in defense articles and services of the Department of Defense, and military education and training, to provide assistance to Taiwan.”

It provided no further details.

Biden and China’s President Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022. AFP via Getty Images
A US-made MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile is launched during a live fire exercise at the Chiupeng missile base in Pingtung County on Aug. 20, 2024. AFP via Getty Images

In April, Biden signed a hard-fought bill into law that provides billions of dollars of new US aid to Ukraine for its war with Russia, as well as for Israel and Taiwan.

Taipei has complained of delayed US arms deliveries, including for upgraded F-14 fighter jets.

China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past five years to assert its claims, which Taipei strongly rejects.

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