The Trump administration has announced a massive arms sale worth around $11bn (£8.2bn) to Taiwan, which includes advanced missile launchers, self-propelled howitzers and a variety of missiles.
The package, which still needs to be approved by the US Congress, will be the second arms sale to Taiwan since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
China, which considers self-ruled Taiwan a breakaway province, has steadily increased pressure on the island through military exercises and regular incursions into its waters and airspace.
Taiwan’s Defense Ministry thanked the United States on Thursday, saying the agreement would help the island “rapidly build strong deterrence capabilities.”
The United States has formal diplomatic relations with Beijing, not Taiwan, and has walked a tight diplomatic rope for decades. But it remains a staunch ally of Taiwan and the island’s largest arms supplier.
China has not commented on the announcement, but the State Department warned last month that a previous deal — a $330 million sale of fighter jets and other aircraft parts in November — “seriously violates” China’s sovereignty and security.
The latest package includes $4 billion worth of High Mobility Artillery Missile Systems (HIMARS) and $4 billion worth of self-propelled howitzers, according to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which announced details late Wednesday.
The size of this deal, if completed, would dwarf 19 rounds of arms sales totaling $8.38 billion during the previous administration under Joe Biden.
In his first term, Trump approved arms sales to Taiwan worth a total of $18.3 billion, with the largest deal at $8 billion.
The US State Department said that this deal serves Washington’s interests “by supporting it [Taipei’s] Continue efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defense capability.”
China has long pledged “reunification” with Taiwan and has not ruled out using force to control it.
It is a threat that Taiwan takes increasingly seriously. It plans to increase defense spending to more than 3% of GDP next year and up to 5% by 2030.
In October, President Lai Ching-te announced the construction of a dome-shaped air defense system to protect against “hostile threats,” without mentioning China by name.
China has become more assertive in the region, often annoying its neighbors with unusual moves – in June, Japan protested following an unprecedented naval exercise conducted by Chinese aircraft carriers in the Pacific.
Recently, a dispute erupted between the two countries over the Japanese Prime Minister’s suggestion that Japan could deploy its forces for self-defense if China attacks Taiwan.
Tensions rose this month as boats from both sides faced off near the disputed islands, and Chinese fighter jets detected radar on Japanese planes.