New Taiwan Arms Deal: US 'Dead Set on Provoking War With China'

New Taiwan Arms Deal: US 'Dead Set on Provoking War With China'

Sputnik

It seems that by giving the green light to more military assistance to Taipei, Washington decided not to deliver on its previous promise with respect to Beijing, journalist and political analyst KJ Noh told Sputnik. 

US President Joe Biden approved up to $345 million in a new defense package to Taiwan, which is expected to include four unarmed MQ-9A reconnaissance drones, among other pieces of military equipment.

The Taiwanese Defense Ministry was quick to thank Washington for its “firm security commitment,” adding in a statement that it will not comment on the package details due to the “tacit agreement” between the two sides.

Washington continuing to send hefty arms supplies to Taipei first of all means the US “wants to expedite weapons [to Taiwan] as fast as possible,” journalist and political analyst KJ Noh said.

“It's not so much about the amount as it is about the speed. They want to send them as many weapons as fast as possible," Noh claimed. "It's exactly the same strategy they used with Ukraine, just continuous salami slicing, continuous provocation."

According to him, it appears that the Biden administration “seems dead set on provoking yet another war, this time with China,” who he said faces “a dead red line.”

Noh described Biden okaying the new defense package to Taiwan as “a direct insult” to China and “a direct refutation of what they [the US]'ve said publicly” about their reluctance to wage war against Beijing. The analyst apparently referred to last year's G20 summit in Bali, where Biden alleged that the US seeks no conflict with China.

Noh's remarks followed Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for China's embassy in Washington, telling Sputnik that Beijing fully opposes US military ties and any military sales to Taiwan.

"This position is consistent and unequivocal. The US should abide by the 'One-China' principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, stop selling arms to Taiwan, stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait and stop posing risks to peace and stability” in the area, Liu stressed when commenting on the White House’s new defense package to Taipei.

Although the US does not maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Washington has a representative office in Taipei and remains the island's biggest supplier of military hardware.

Beijing considers Taiwan as an unalienable part of China’s sovereign territory and opposes any official contacts between the island and other countries.