The U.S. State Department has decided to sell Taiwan weapons worth a record $11.1 billion (about 15.54 trillion won). The move comes as China's military pressure intensifies across Northeast Asia. Experts said the Trump administration proved its will to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait with a real weapons transaction.
On the 18th, local time, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and the foreign affairs outlet Foreign Policy reported that the State Department the previous day approved a large-scale arms sale plan to Taiwan—including 82 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 60 M109A6 self-propelled howitzers, along with various loitering munitions and precision-guided weapons—and notified Congress. Congress will review the plan for 30 days and then decide whether to approve it. It is expected to take several years to actually deliver U.S. weapons to Taiwan.
The $11.1 billion weapons package surpasses in a single stroke the $8.4 billion (about 12.4 trillion won) in total arms sales to Taiwan during the four-year tenure of former President Joe Biden. Behind President Trump's choice—one that strongly provokes China despite his emphasis on economic interests and America First—is a calculation to prevent China's misjudgment through "strategic clarity."
In Washington political circles, there had been concern that President Trump, prioritizing economic interests, might step back from the Taiwan issue. However, this large-scale arms sale quelled such worries and fundamentally blocked a situation in which China's leadership looks for an opening to invade Taiwan. If Japan drew China's gaze with diplomatic remarks fronted by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the United States handled the practical work by supplying Taiwan with direct, tangible strike means. This is a sophisticated strategic move to disperse China's military power so it cannot concentrate on any single front (戰線).
Citing experts, the WSJ said, "With this arms sale, the Trump administration proved the promise to 'help defend Taiwan' with a tangible boost in military power," adding that it is "a deterrent to dismiss China's perception that the United States will step back from the Taiwan issue and to prevent China from undertaking adventurous military action against Taiwan."
The weapons systems the United States is selling are tailored to Taiwan's inferior position relative to China, consisting of equipment that can maximize Chinese casualties rather than ensure victory. While it is difficult for Taiwan to win in a head-on clash with China, the strategy is to raise to astronomical levels the expense China would have to bear if it decides to invade.
The specific items clearly reveal the Taiwan military's strategic shift. In the past, Taiwan focused on acquiring equipment that boosted offensive power, such as high-priced fighter jets or large vessels. This time, it bought weapons like 82 HIMARS and 60 self-propelled howitzers that can precisely strike enemies approaching the shore from land. It is an attempt to transplant to Taiwan the defensive model, proven by the war in Ukraine, that offers high effect relative to expense. Operating a single HIMARS rocket launcher costs hundreds of billions of won. By contrast, the amphibious assault ships and transport ships attacked by these rockets are assets worth trillions.
Reuters reported that "Taiwan is focusing on building a 'porcupine strategy' through U.S. support to counter China's overwhelming military power." The porcupine strategy is to raise the expense of an attack to an extreme level so the opponent abandons the attack itself. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te named this strategy T-Dome. Modeled after Israel's Iron Dome, this system is an integrated defense architecture that protects Taiwan from missiles, drones and fighter jets. The weapons being introduced this time are expected to form the core backbone of T-Dome.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs immediately pushed back. According to the Chinese outlet China Daily, ministry Spokesperson Guo Shouchun warned, "The United States is seriously violating the one-China principle and sending the wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces," adding, "China will take all necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The United States views China's backlash as an expense included in the price of the weapons Taiwan is buying. The judgment is that while China may ratchet up diplomatic condemnation and stage localized shows of force, it will not trigger an immediate military clash solely over the arms sale. Citing experts, Foreign Policy noted that "this arms transaction, occurring as President Trump and President Xi Jinping seek to stabilize relations, will serve as a test bed for gauging the intensity of U.S.-China relations in Trump's second term."