In light of the escalating tensions with China, Politico reported on Monday that the Joe Biden administration intends to seek the US Congress to approve a $1.1 billion military transfer to Taiwan that includes 60 anti-ship missiles and 100 air-to-air missiles.
Following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the democratically run island earlier this month, China conducted its largest war games there. Beijing hasn’t ruled out using force to seize control of the island.
Also Read: Reliance AGM makes big announcements: here is the list
On Monday, China disregarded Taiwan’s accusations of recurrent drone harassment very close to Taiwanese-controlled islands as nothing “to make a fuss over,” leading Taipei to accuse Beijing of being a thief.
According to Reuters last week, there are items in the approval pipeline for Taiwan that could be announced in the upcoming weeks or months, and both the administration of President Joe Biden and American politicians emphasise their continued support for the Taipei government.
According to three sources who asked to remain anonymous due to the nature of the matter, the emphasis will instead be on maintaining Taiwan’s current military systems and carrying out existing orders rather than introducing new capabilities more likely to exacerbate already smoldering tensions with China.
Also Read: Hartalika Teej 2022 updates; all you need to know
A request for comment on the Politico report was not immediately met by the White House.